


The Honest Man

by Chippita13, farmersmumz



Series: Change Your Mind [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dorms, Explicit Language, Friends to Lovers, House Parties, Jean and Eren are gigantic 5 year olds, Language Kink, M/M, More references to The Killers than is probably necessary, Multi, Piercings, Pining, Rated M for later Chapters, Roommates, Sexual Confusion, Slow Build, Smoking, Tags May Change, Underage Drinking, Vaguely illegal shinanigans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-13
Updated: 2014-11-22
Packaged: 2018-01-12 05:14:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 28,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1182339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chippita13/pseuds/Chippita13, https://archiveofourown.org/users/farmersmumz/pseuds/farmersmumz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jean Kirschtein decided to attend Rose University, located in Trost, Massachusetts, in hopes of finding friends, adventure, and stories to carry with him for the rest of his life. And he might have a shot if he can survive the emotional turmoil of falling in love with his best friend, a sophomore who just transferred from New Mexico named Marco Bodt.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Impressions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The good old days, the honest man;  
> The restless heart, the Promised Land  
> A subtle kiss that no one sees;  
> A broken wrist and a big trapeze
> 
> Oh well I don't mind, if you don't mind  
> 'Cause I don't shine if you don't shine  
> Before you go, can you read my mind?
> 
> "Read My Mind" - The Killers

I’m not sure what I was expecting college to be like, but whatever it was, this wasn’t it. I knew that classes could be tough, and I was ready for that going in. But now I was a week in and so far all it had been was a bunch of syllabi and learning my way around. I guess maybe I had my expectations set too high, what with all the movies and TV shows about people and their epic adventures during college. I was hoping for parties and friends I would keep with me for the rest of my life, crazy adventures and late nights. So far I had only met the people I lived with. 

My dorm was a suite set up, two rooms, a living room, and a bathroom split between four people. My roommate was a tiny bald kid named Connie Springer. I liked him well enough, he had a good sense of humor but he was loud and never seemed to think anything through. The other bedroom in our suite was occupied by two guys named Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Fubar. They were high school sweethearts and had made it a point to go to the same college, which was sweet and all…but got pretty damn awkward at times. Let’s just say the walls are thin. Even so I liked them, when they weren’t going at it like crazed animals. Reiner was fun, just a super outgoing guy. He was a linebacker for the school’s football team and was here on a sports scholarship. Bertholdt was tall enough to be intimidating, or he would be if he weren’t so fucking shy and awkward. As far as I knew he was on the track team. And then there was our unofficial 5th roommate, Sasha Brouse. She was always fucking here thanks to being attached to Connie’s hip. He swore they weren’t dating but I still had my doubts. The two of them were always up to no good, and Sasha always managed to cover our entire suite in a thin layer of crumbs before she left. It was annoying as hell, but I was starting to get used to it. I guess.

But even they weren’t around to keep me company at the moment. It was Thursday, the unofficial start to the weekend in college as I had learned, and they were all out doing their own thing. Reiner and Bertl were on a date somewhere and Connie and Sasha were out doing God knows what. I didn’t ask just in case it was illegal. So I was left alone to lay around the dorm in sweatpants and an old t-shirt with nothing to do, the awkward fifth wheel who’s presence wasn’t needed.

I’d spent a few hours just playing video games, but even that was starting to get old. I would try to get a jump start on my homework, but I didn’t have any yet. I tried to find something to watch on Netflix but I couldn’t stay still long enough. And that was how I decided I would spend my night doing laundry, because let’s face it, it’s not like I had anything better to do.  

I grabbed my laundry basket, searching around my room for the last few pieces of clothing I had managed to dirty in the last week. I sighed as I exited my room into the hallway. You know it’s bad when you’re so fucking bored that laundry starts to look appealing. These were the thoughts that were on my mind as I made my way down the hall to the laundry room. I was worried that I had set my hopes too high, that Rose University wasn’t going to be all it was cracked up to be. 

I was just reaching the laundry room when I was pulled out of my thoughts by someone ramming into me from behind. With a grunt I turned around to see my offender. “Hmmph. Hey, watch it buddy.” A head peaked out from behind the mountain of clothes obscuring his vision. God, he looked so flustered. It made me feel a little bad for snapping at the guy so I went ahead and held the door to the laundry room open for him. Because I’m a fucking gentleman (don’t let anyone tell you differently), and it wasn’t like he was gonna be able to open it himself with that monstrous load of laundry in his arms. 

"Th-Thanks!" The guy said, rushing into the room. He went straight to one of the washers and began filling the machine the second his laundry basket hit the ground. Dude was in such a hurry, shoving clothes into the machine with such purpose that he might as well been practicing for some weird, new Olympic sport. I followed him into the room, choosing a washer a few machines down and started doing the same, though with much less gusto. This might be a good time to add that I had never done laundry before, not on my own at least, and I had no idea what the fuck I was doing. I remembered hearing somewhere that you were supposed to separate the clothes or something, I wasn’t really sure how though. They all just looked like clothes to me. Deciding it couldn’t really do much harm, I just threw all of the laundry in together and set it to normal. 

The other guy closed the door to his washer, set the dials, and turned around, finally allowing me a decent look at his face. He looked over at me with big, terrified looking brown eyes, his dark hair askew. His face, which was covered in a spattering of freckles, was so red I was actually starting to worry about his health. A hand came up to rub awkwardly at the back of his neck. "About earlier, I'm really sorry. I should've made two trips instead of piling all of my clothes up like that." He said with a strained grin on his face. The poor guy looked absolutely mortified.

I stuffed my hands in the pockets of my sweatpants and shrugged. "Relax. It's fine. We don't need you having an aneurism.” I said with a smirk, hoping to set the guy at ease. Really, he barely bumped me. It was no big deal, but with the way he was apologizing you’d think he just ran over my puppy or some shit. “Though, I gotta ask….” I started as a thought occurred to me. “How'd you manage to make that much laundry in a week?"

He sighed out a breath of relief, though my question seemed to have him fidgeting awkwardly as he thought of how to answer. "Well, I've been so caught up in the whole college experience and trying to get used to this crazy environment I just kind of, uh...well it's not really a good excuse, I've just been lazy is all." He answered with a light hearted laugh, still trying to shake off his previous embarrassment. But suddenly he froze, his eyes shooting open with a sharp inhale. “I FORGOT TO PUT LAUNDRY SOAP IN THE LOAD!" He shouted, panicked. He swiveled around on his heel, flailing for his detergent. He managed to fill the cap and pour it into the washer without any problem and when he turned back around he was laughing, the blush that had been dying out back in full force now. He pointed at the washer and chuckled, "I knew I forgot something but I couldn't put my finger on it. I'd lose half of my head if it wasn't attached." 

Was this guy for real? He was a little taller than I was, and broader....but with all the blushing and those god damned freckles (that I somehow couldn't stop noticing) the only word that came to mind while looking at him, standing there fumbling to put soap in the washer, was adorable. It was like I’d just found the human incarnation of a fucking Labrador puppy, all awkward and clumsy and too eager to please. I was at a little bit of a loss on how to even talk to the guy. I hadn’t always had the best history with filtering my words. I said whatever was on my mind nine times out of ten and it sometimes had a tendency to come out harsher than I intended. And this guy just seemed so fucking sweet and sincere that I didn’t want to say the wrong thing and upset him. What I managed to come up with was, "So...I take it you live on this floor too, then." I mentally rolled my eyes, having to resist the urge to face-palm. “ _Smooth Kirschtein… Real smooth. But seriously, what the fuck was that?_ ” I thought, berating myself.

The guy still looked a little uncomfortable, like he was waiting for me to change my mind and bitch him out for bumping into me in the hallway. Though really, after that line he could have just been uncomfortable by what a massive idiot I’d just made out of myself. He nodded a little, saying, “Uh, yeah I live in 202.” He walked over to me, stumbling a bit. Once again I was reminded of a puppy that hadn’t grown into its paws yet. He shook off his little clumsy moment and held out his hand. “My name’s Marco.” He introduced himself, head tilting to the side and a radiant smile on his lips. 

Holy shit, once he managed to stop blushing and actually smile it was like a face full of sunshine! I was kind of floored. “Huh, how about that? I'm just down the hall in 210." I told him, taking his hand in mine and shaking it firmly. Somewhere in the back corner of my mind I noted how warm his hand was. "I'm Jean." I told him by way of introduction as he released my hand and I stuck it back into my pocket. It was nice to be able to put a name to the face, rather than just thinking of him as Puppy Freckles. I gave him a friendly smirk, reminding myself how I’d been complaining about not knowing anyone just an hour before. 

"Nice to meet you, Jean!" Marco absolutely beamed at me. "I'm glad we ran into each other. I've only talked to a few people since I've been here and it's always nice meeting new people." He said. But as he went on his expression shifted and he looked a little uncomfortable again. "My roommates are best friends so it's nice to have a conversation with someone who doesn't constantly bring up inside stories." He explained. His eyes grew wide and he held up his hands in front of him, rushing to tack on, “Not that it's not interesting hearing what people say about their lives, I mean, I don't have a problem with that."

Did he always get that flustered this easily? I couldn’t help but chuckle. "Nah, it's fine. Say what you want, don't apologize." I said, leaning back against one of the dryers. "Besides, I totally get it. But if you thought that was bad...two of my roommates are dating. Imagine every conversation devolving into really awkward tickle fights. It can get...a little uncomfortable." I felt my face heat up a bit at the memory. It had only been a week, one week, and already I was way more familiar with Reiner and Bertl’s sex life than I ever needed to be. I was considering taking up the habit of sleeping with headphones in. I was gonna have to if it kept up at this rate.

Marco walked over to me and put his hand on my shoulder, a small sympathetic smile in place. "I'm sorry to hear that. I can't imagine how uncomfortable that is. And here I am complaining about how hard I have it."  He said, sounding like he was beating himself up for it too. This guy… actually looked like he felt bad for me. Not in like the 'dude, that sucks' way either. He had to be the most sincere person I had ever met. I wasn’t really sure how to handle that, actually. I hadn't thought there even _were_ people who were that generally concerned for others anymore. 

I was at a legitimate loss here. I shrugged, looking away a little awkwardly. "It's not like it's a big deal or anything. Just annoying sometimes, I guess. Don't worry about it.” I told him, trying to shrug it off. Reiner and Bertl’s sexy-time sessions were hardly the worst thing to happen in my life. But here Marco was, comforting me anyway, like it actually mattered. 

Speaking of… His hand was still on my shoulder.

Marco must have realized this too, because when I looked back over at him I was able watch his eyes growing wide. You could actually pinpoint where his blush started as it spread across his face, taking over any available skin like a disease. Our eyes met and he just…stared…at me for what was probably a whole minute as he seemed to try to think of some way to make this less awkward than it already was. He opened his mouth, willing words to come out, and finally said, "Maybe some time when you're lonely, we can hang out."

I just stared back up at him. Yes, fucking UP because the little shit was so much taller than I was. That hadn’t exactly been what I was expecting him to say. Honestly that sounded fucking fantastic because I had been bored as hell since I got here. I almost exclaimed as much too, but bit my tongue. _“Be cool. Don't seem too eager. You're a college student now. This is your chance to start fresh. So just. Be. Cool.”_ I reminded myself. I decided it’d be best to just play it off and tried to shrug indifferently. “Yeah...Whatever. That'd be cool, I guess." I said, looking away when I realized I’d been fucking STARING at the guy this whole time. I cleared my throat. "So, uh...What are you doing now, anyway? We could go kill some time in my room until the laundry's done. If you want," I suggested with a shrug. 

Marco let go of my shoulder then, backing away slowly. He held his arm up, looking down at the leather watch on his wrist. Why was he so nervous? Maybe I should have just let it go. I was so eager to get to know someone here and have my own friends that maybe I came off a little pushy. “All I'm doing at the moment is waiting for the laundry to get done.” He said with an awkward chuckle. That put my mind to ease a bit. Maybe he was just a little shy. He looked back up at me, lips twitching up into a smile so small I almost didn’t catch it. "I would love to spend some time with you."

I nodded in assent, fighting back the smile that wanted to spread over my face and make me look like an idiot. Marco seemed like a good guy and I didn’t want to fuck this up before I had even earned his friendship. Maybe this was a little more important to me than it should have been, but I…Well, I had never really had a close friend before. Not a real one at least. In high school there was a group of people I knew that I always hung out with while I was at school. Eating lunch together, that kind of thing. But they didn’t really care about me and that was pretty obvious. But Marco…It was hard to imagine him not caring about anyone. I wanted him to like me, to want to hang out with me. Maybe a little more than I was willing to admit. 

I looked back over to the washer to see how much time it had left. I had forty minutes until I had to come back and switch the clothes over to the dryer. That was plenty of time. "Great. I'll lead the way." I told him, grabbing my empty laundry basket and stuffing it under my arm. I didn’t want someone stealing the thing while I was away. I walked out of the laundry room and back into the hall, fairly secure in my belief that Marco would have no trouble following on his own. 

He quickly followed suit, grabbing his own laundry basket and following me into the hall. I smiled to myself as he walked along the hall after me, heading towards my room. Everything seemed to be going fine when I heard a scuffle behind me, followed by an “Omf!” I turned around to see that Marco had tripped and, once again, ran into someone. Marco scrambled to stand back up straight, apologizing profusely. He was spewing words so fast it was almost hard to understand him. The victim of Marco’s last batch of clumsiness just sneered back, however. “Sure, Frecklefuck just watch where your gigantic legs are moving next time.” he snapped, turning to continue down the hall.

I watched the emotions play over Marco’s face. His eyes were so big and sad. I had never seen someone pull off the puppy eyes so well. The poor guy looked so upset, like he was the scum of the Earth for tripping and bumping into someone again. I didn’t understand why this asshole had to go and make it into some big thing that it wasn’t. Marco was the nicest person I’d ever met. He did not deserve this shit. Before I realized it I had dropped my laundry basket and was walking after the guy that had just lit up on my radar in a bad way. “Hey, ass-wipe. He said he was sorry. What’s your fucking problem?” 

The little shit turned back around and the sneer had been wiped off his face only to be replaced by a murderous grimace. “My problem is that this big ass motherfucker can't see worth a shit, and that he probably needs to occasionally check his surroundings instead of spacing out like a goddamn waste. What're you, his boyfriend or something?" He spat, a cold gaze travelling between me and Marco. I felt my eyes narrow. 

Behind me I heard Marco pipe up. “I don't see why you would assume that, since we were merely walking together. Even if he were, which he isn't, I don't see why it would inconvenience you in anyway. I said I was sorry and I really meant it. Now if you could please leave me be I would appreciate it." He said. He was so mature and level headed. It didn’t surprise me at all. But I was impressed that the guy who had seemed so meek before could manage to sound so authoritative.  

That asshole just laughed in response. "Well I guess that answers my question. Whatever, fairy boys, you're not worth it." He snarled. I hadn’t really expected much more out of such an idiot, but it still twisted my face into an ugly grimace. And then the motherfucker looked straight at me, staring me in the eye like he was fucking daring me to do something about it. I was so sick of his shit, of him berating Marco for an accident, of his fucking homophobic slurs. I just saw red. Something snapped and before I even had time to register what I was doing I felt my knuckles colliding with this dick-wad’s nose. 

I was gearing up for another swing when Marco swooped in and grabbed me from behind. On the other side of the hall someone had come out to see what all the commotion was about and was standing there, gaping like a fish as he watched me attempt to pummel the living shit out of this guy. Marco looked over to him and yelled, “You! Grab the other guy.” The bystander blinked and quickly proceeded to latch onto that asshole, pulling him away. Marco pulled me the opposite direction, trying to subdue me. “Jean, calm down!” 

I spent a good minute thrashing against Marco’s grip. I had to give that prick a piece of my mind. How dare he upset Marco! I was fairly certain that Marco had never so much as hurt a fly. No one should be allowed to hurt him. Period. And fuck him for saying that shit about the two of us anyway. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. But Marco was a lot stronger than he looked and eventually the fight drained out of me. I let out an angry huff and set my jaw. “Alright…alright I’m fine. I’ll behave. Can you let me the fuck go now?” 

I was still pissed at that that moron, but it didn’t matter now anyway. He had already left, presumably to make his nose stop bleeding. But I was also pretty angry at myself. I had spent all night thinking about how much I wanted a friend. And here’s the world’s nicest guy, actually wanting to hang out with me, and what do I do? Get into a fist fight within an hour of meeting him. Hell of a way to make a first impression. It’s like introducing yourself and saying ‘Oh yeah, by the way, I have the world’s shortest temper and apparently anger management issues. Hope that’s not a deal breaker.’ Yep, good fucking job. Way to go, Kirschtein. Marco let go and I took a few more deep breaths, trying to calm myself, and muttered a brief “Sorry ‘bout that…” in Marco’s general direction.

Apparently appeased that I wasn’t gonna run down the hall like a mad man trying to find the guy I had just fought with, Marco relaxed and looked me over. I was worried about what he was thinking, if he was trying to decide if I was even worth the effort when a long, heartfelt sigh left his lips. When he spoke his face became solemn, his eyes guilty. “Jean, I should be the one apologizing. I should have just been more careful about where I was going and walked away when he started saying those things. I put you in a compromising situation and that was wrong of me. If you don't want to hang out anymore I'll understand. You don't have to be nice to me just because I'm new around here." He said, looking dejected.

The anger that was ebbing away flared back to life and my brow furrowed. How could Marco blame himself for all of this? How could he think so little of himself? And did he really think so lowly of me that I would just fucking take off after what had just went down? I turned to face him head on, gripping one of his shoulders tightly.  

"Let's get something straight. None of this is your fault, got that? Yeah you tripped. So what? It was a fucking accident. It's that asshole's fault for reacting the way he did. And I...probably could have handled that situation better too. Whatever...I'm working on it. But that's on me, got it?" I said, staring up directly into his eyes. I needed him to hear me, to believe me. I took a deep breath, trying to cool off after my little rant, and let go of his shoulder. I took a step back, giving him some space, and crossed my arms over my chest. “So are we going to my room or not?”

A huge grin spread over Marco’s face. Like, when I say his entire face lit up, I mean you could have substituted the kid for a light house and it would have the same effect. “Hell yeah!” He called out. And then he froze when he realized that the words had left his mouth. His eyes grew wide and he clapped a hand over his mouth, looking down at the floor in mortification. Once he seemed to get his thoughts in order, he looked back up at me, lowering his hand. He gave me a sheepish smile and said. “Uh, I mean, of course, I’d love to.” And just like that Marco was once again doing his impersonation of a strawberry, his freckles playing the part of the seeds.  

I tried not to laugh, I really did, but there was no way to stop it. This guy was hilarious. And the relief that swept through me left me a little giddy. Knowing that Marco still genuinely wanted to spend time with me after my little outburst was a huge weight off of my shoulders. If something like that so early on hadn't already fucked me over, then I felt like I had a pretty good shot at this becoming an actual friendship. We picked up our laundry baskets and I threw my free arm around Marco’s shoulders. “Then I better escort you before you manage to run into someone for a third time tonight.” I teased good-naturedly, a smirk on my lips.

Marco Jumped a little in surprise at the contact, but quickly relaxed and let me lead him down the hall. He laughed softly at my teasing, his face still a little pink “I guess that’s just one of my talents. Bumping into people, I mean” he joked. I chuckled and a smile spread across his face. I decided that maybe there was hope for Rose University yet.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This started as a jeanmarco roleplay between me and a friend of mine. We were enjoying it so much and found it so funny that we decided to revamp it and turn it into a series. "The Honest Man" (written by Chippita13) is Jean's version of events while it's sister fic, "The Boy With the Eager Eyes" (written by farmersmumz) is Marco's. I hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as we have enjoyed creating it.
> 
> Also my tumblr is chippita13.tumblr.com if you would like to follow or contact me.
> 
> I'll also be tracking and posting in the tag "fic: CYM" on tumblr. I'd love to see what you guys think, so if you post anything about it, please tag it so I can find it.


	2. I dub thee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys' night continues once they get to Jean's room. Movies are attempted, nicknames are given, selfies are taken, and Marco is scarred for life. Or in short, our boys continue behaving like massive dorks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for all the hits and kudos so far! It means so much to us to know you are enjoying the story! 
> 
> The first chapter of Marco's POV, The Boy With the Eager Eyes, is up. I highly suggest you read it. Farmersmumz did an excellent job. 
> 
> We'd love to hear from you guys so please tell us what you think or let us know if you have any questions!
> 
> Without farther a do, here's the next instalment. Enjoy!

“Hey, our dorms really aren’t that far apart,” Marco said as we continued down the hallway, pointing out his room as we passed it.

I turned my head to look back at the door in question, “202” spelled out in brass numbers on the front. “Huh…” I said, as we walked passed. “No kidding. How ‘bout that.” They really were closer than I had expected, on the same side of the hall with just three doors between them. I finally removed my arm from Marco’s shoulders as we neared my own door, “210”, and used my free hand to dig around in the pocket of my sweatpants for the key. Once I found it I unlocked the door, holding it open for Marco before following him in. “Make yourself at home,” I called over my shoulder as I walked past him to put away the laundry basket.

At one end of the living room was a make shift kitchen pertaining of a pantry, a sink, two mini fridges (one with a microwave balance precariously on top), and a small table with two fold out chairs acting as a dining table. At the other end we had a desk in one corner with a bookcase set up next to it; we referred to this as the ‘get shit done’ corner. In the center of the room was a coffee table that Bertl had brought with him set out in front of a couch that Connie had supplied. I had my suspicions about that couch, honestly. I wouldn’t have been surprised if Connie had found it out on a curb somewhere and had taken the opportunity to claim it as his own. It was old and smelled a little strange, but it was soft and springy and comfortable enough that you could easily fall asleep on it, so I figured what the hell. Then across from the couch was the focal point of the room, a TV I had brought with me from home. It was honestly maybe a little larger than necessary for a dorm this size, but it was the one material possession I owned that I was actually attached to so it accompanied me on move-in day. We had three different gaming consoles hooked up and next to it we had another tall, skinny book shelf filled with DVDs and video game cases.  

When I turned back around from where I had sat the laundry basket I found Marco standing in the center of the room, staring at the TV like he had just seen the face of God. His lip quivered and he choked out, "T-Titan...THAT'S A TITANIC TV OH MY GOD." He ran over to it in his excitement. I figured hey, maybe he just wants a closer look. But no. This fucking kid… He lays down on the ground in front of it, stretching out to compare the size of the screen to his height. "Jean! This thing is huge!” He called out from where he laid on the ground. It easily took up half of his body. 

A laugh erupted out of my chest. The kind that takes you by surprise and are so forceful they almost hurt. Jesus fucking Christ, this guy was the best. And the best part is that he didn’t even have to try. He was hilarious, he was kind, he was compassionate to people he barely even knew. I never would have dreamed of meeting someone like Marco, but I would be lucky to have him as my friend.

He jumped back up, brushing off his clothes and looking over at me. “I’ve never seen one this big before,” he admitted. His voice was pitchy and a little breathy, a mix between shock and amazement. He turned his head, looking back at the TV in an almost loving, reverent way. His lips were parted and his eyes were big and almost sparkling, a sense of awe playing across his features. I was almost worried I would need to give them a minute alone.

“Hah… Yeah, I guess it is pretty big.” I said with a shrug, a smile still tugging at my lips as tried to come back down from my laughing fit. I walked passed him and plopped down on the couch, kicking my feet up onto the coffee table and crossing them at the ankles. Marco still looked about ready to drool over my TV. “You want to know a secret? It’s even better when you turn it on.” I teased.

That got his attention. He whipped his head around to look at me, beaming. “Well, I bet it is!” He made his way over to join me on the couch where he practically bounced up and down in his seat, hitting his feet together like an over excited five year old. His head swung around on his neck as he looked around the room, looking for the remote. “Jean how do you turn it on? Can you show me? I really want to see what it’s like when it’s all juiced up and ready to go!” he pleaded, smiling widely.

Shaking my head, I pulled open one of the doors to the compartment underneath the coffee table where I kept the remote and all the controllers for my game consoles. I didn’t trust Connie with their safety if I left them out in the open. I pulled out the long, slim remote for the TV and turned it on. “So what do you want to watch? We could pop in a movie, find something on Netflix, or play a game or something.” I suggested with a shrug. “There’s a bunch of movies and games over there if you wanna look through them.”

Marco looked over to the bookcase I had pointed out, his eyes racking over the titles from where he sat on the couch. He looked like he was having a lot of trouble deciding, or maybe like he was uncomfortable having to choose. “I’m fine with any kind of movie. It’s your dorm, so I think you should pick. Honestly I can watch anything,” he finally said, laughing slightly.

I bit my bottom lip, chewing on it slightly as I thought through a mental checklist of the movies I owned.I looked over to the shelf, at Marco, and then back to the shelf. It was hard trying to judge what kind of a movie someone would be into after knowing them for… wow… only about an hour now, really. Huh. It felt like a lot longer than that. At a bit of a loss, I just decided to fall back on one of my all-time favorites. I walked over to the bookcase, grabbed The Boondock Saints, and tossed the case to Marco. “How do you feel about that one?” 

Marco’s eyes practically lit up when he looked down at the case. “I love The Boondock Saints! Connor and Murphy are the best and I love the scenes, not to mention how great Smecker is!” he gushed. I couldn’t help but feel a little smug. I wanted to impress him and here was this movie I loved and he totally approved of it. I felt so vindicated. Marco, however, seemed to feel less comfortable about his reaction. He rubbed at the back of his neck and chuckled awkwardly, saying, “I, I uh, mean sure. I’m totally fine with that.” 

I smirked. What, did the kid think it was against the law to be excited or something? I walked over and snatched the movie case from him, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “Dude… Relax. I’ve already gotten in a fight to protect your honor. You’re kinda stuck with me by this point. So please, feel free to speak your mind,” I teased. He deflated and I felt some of the tension drain out of his shoulders. I let go and went to pop the movie into the DVD tray. “And my favorite part is when they shoot the cat.” I said with a smile as I plopped back down onto the couch next to him, getting the topic back to the movie before pressing play.

Marco’s mouth flapped open in shock. “J-Jean! That’s so mean!” he chided in a loud whisper. His hands came up, covering his face. “It was just a poor cat, getting along with his feline life. That cat had dreams. He had mice to chase and dreams to dream.” I looked over at him and he looked back at me with the most pitiful face. I had never seen someone look so heartbroken over a fictional cat. He pouted, tucking his arms underneath each other and slinking back into the couch.  

I have never been the type to apologize for what I thought or felt, or the kind to take back something I’ve said. But Marco had me feeling so damn guilty over that damn cat. I averted my gaze, heat rising in my cheeks. “I can’t help it. The timing was hysterical… The looks on the guys faces.” I said in my defense. I knew I sounded like a petulant little kid, but I couldn’t help it. It was funny! It wasn’t my fault I liked it.“I know it’s awful, but sometimes a cat has to be sacrificed for the sake of comedy.” I kept up my argument, knowing it was weak. “Tell me you didn’t giggle despite yourself. Not even a little….”

Next to me a loud, sharp laugh broke out. I whipped my head around to see Marco holding his sides, fighting the laughs so that they burst out of him in snorts. He actually laughed so hard that he toppled over and fell off of the fucking couch. He landed on the ground with a thud, face red and wheezing. Once he calmed down enough to speak, he said, “Oh gosh, Jean I’m sorry about that. I’m just messing with you a little bit. But I kept thinking about how silly my face looked and I just couldn’t hold it in anymore. Oh, geez, my stomach hurts now.” A few more little huffy laughs escaped as he wiped away tears from his eyes.  

“Are you fucking kidding?” I asked, my mouth hanging open in shock. And he seemed so sweet just a second ago. “That’s cold…” I pouted. “I actually felt bad, you jerk. You sounded so serious.” I shook my head, muttering. Really it was quite a feat. Few people could make me feel guilty like Marco just had. And over a fucking cat. On a movie. “Asshole…” I groused, crossing my arms over my chest. Even so I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face. I didn’t know how Marco could pull such an evil joke one moment and then dissolve into a puddle of giggles the next, saying things like ‘oh gosh’. “Seems like freckled Jesus over here has a dark side…” I teased with a smirk.

Marco brought his hands up to his face, his fingers splaying over his cheeks. “Freckled Jesus? Since when have I earned that kind of title?” He asked. He looked over to me with a smirk, “If I’m freckled Jesus, then who does that make you?” He asked, a thoughtful expression on his face. A second later his eyes lit up. “I know! Since we both like these movies I can call you Ponyboy! Because you have blond hair!” It took me a second to figure out what he was talking about, but then I remembered the scene near the beginning of the second Boondock Saints where they were talking about dyeing their hair blond. One of the brothers joked, saying ‘stay gold, Ponyboy’ like in The Outsiders. Marco stood up and put a hand on my shoulder. “What do you think?” he asked, beaming, clearly proud of himself.  

I laughed, tilting my head from side to side as I considered the nickname. “There are worse things to be called I guess. And that is one hell of a movie.” I thought aloud. I loved The Outsiders. It was one of my favorite books, and the movie was fantastic too. Finally I nodded. “Yeah… Alright, I can dig it,” I said, flashing Marco a bright smile. 

Marco seemed pleased that I approved and sat back down on the couch next to me. He tilted his head in contemplation and asked, “Do I really have a dark side?” He looked a little uncertain.

I shrugged. “I don’t know.” I said. I mean, in all honesty I had just met the guy. And we seemed to be bonding quickly but it’s not like I knew all his darkest secrets. “You just seem like such a perfect saint. Which leads me to believe you have to have a dark side.” I explained. “No one’s that good all the time.” 

Marco smirked at that, taking a moment to mull it over. “I’m nowhere near perfect, but thank you for viewing me like that. It’s actually one of the nicest things anyone’s ever told me.” Marco squeezed my shoulder lightly looking downright fond. “But if it makes you feel better, I do have one ‘dark’ trait about me,” he said. That had my curiosity piqued. He looked around the room dramatically, like it could mean death if someone else heard him. He leaned in, cupping a hand around my ear. I froze, my spine stiffening as I tried to imagine what Marco could possibly be hiding. With a gentle whisper he finally said, “I really like horror movies.” 

I deflated. Honestly I’m not sure if I was relieved or disappointed. I laughed, shaking my head. “God, is that it? That’s your big, dark secret?” I asked, looking back over at him with a smile. Jesus, this kid was a dork. “Alright, so what kinda horror movies are we talkin’ here? Ones that are suspenseful and make you question reality? Gory ones full of jump scares? Or my personal favorite, ones that are so bad that they’re just hilarious instead?”

Marco looked down, blushing again. “Well, I really like the gory, bloody, have-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat kind of movies. Some of my personal favorites are the ‘Grave Encounters’ and ‘V/H/S’ types of movies. Mockummentaries are my favorite. There’s something about being scared and shook to the core that attracts me.”  

“Good call. I’m impressed, actually. I wouldn’t have guessed that.” I said with a nod. “But it sounds like you’ve got good taste. We should have a marathon some time.” I suggested. I hoped it wouldn’t be too presumptuous to assume that Marco would want to hang out again. “We could have it here. But heads up, we’d probably have to put up with my roommate too. And his… uh… I don’t even know what to call her, honestly.” I said with a shrug. But Marco was so nice so I felt the need to add in, “They aren’t too bad, I guess. Just… loud. And Sasha gets crumbs on everything.” 

Marco looked back up at me, looking almost relieved. “I would love to have a marathon with you.” He said with a smile. “I’m really glad you’re such a great guy, Jean. I hope we can become really good friends this year. And I’d be fine with whoever as long as I got to hang out with you some more!” 

A blush rose to my face at Marco’s comment. There it was again. That sincerity. It’s like opening up and showing exactly what was on his heart was nothing for this guy. I’m not sure I knew how to make myself that vulnerable. Just the thought made me feel embarrassed and squeamish. I wasn’t really sure how to respond. “Yeah, I hope we can too… But I’m really not that great of a guy…” I murmured in the interest of full disclosure. Most the time I’d probably be trying to talk myself up in this situation, but something about Marco made it seem like it would be wrong to be less than honest. “I’m kind of an asshole actually… But at least I’m an honest asshole.” I said with a laugh, trying to ease some of the awkwardness that hung in the air.  

Marco looked back up at me with a sigh. “I don’t think you could be that much of an asshole if you’ve been this nice to me already Jean. I know I don’t know you very well but I don’t think you’re that bad of a guy. You seem like you have very strong convictions even though you can be a little hot headed. It makes me a little sad that you can’t see yourself like I do.” He paused for a moment, looking a little nervous, before saying, “Hey, Jean? Is it okay if we exchange phone numbers? I mean I can understand if it’s too soon or you’d rather not have me bothering you, so please don’t feel pressured if you’d rather wait a while.” 

Marco was way more nervous than I ever wanted him to feel around me. I pulled my phone out of my pocket. “Yeah, no of course. How else will we plan the movie night?” I said with a smirk, hoping to break some of the tension. I held my phone out to him. “Here, trade me.” 

Marco pulled his phone out of his pocket and handed it to me. “It’s nothing that impressive. Just a simple AT&T slider phone,” he said as he took my phone from me. I could feel the relief roll off of him and feel him loosening up as he entered his contact information into my iPhone. 

I pulled a face as I looked down at his slightly ancient slider and began trying to decipher how to enter my own information. There was so much key punching it made me want to cringe. “Oh, buddy…” I said, shaking my head and clicking my tongue in disapproval. “We’ve got to get you upgraded to a smartphone. They make things so much easier. And now that we’re in college I can guarantee you it would come in handy.” I told him. I saved my number under the name ‘Jean Ponyboy Kirschtein’. I hoped Marco would get a kick out of that. 

We exchanged phones again, taking our own phone back. I scrolled through my M contacts until I found Marco Bodt. Huh… So that was his last name. With a smirk I edited the contact, adding a quick ‘St.’ before Marco’s name. Next to me Marco chuckled, apparently finding my own little joke. “Wow, that’s going to forever remain your contact name,” he said. I was still fiddling with my phone when he spoke again, shouting, “Jean! Heads up!”

My head popped up just in time for me to get a face full of a camera flash. It took a few blinks before I really registered what had happened. “Hey, what the hell was that?!” I complained, but Marco didn’t really seem to notice. He was too busy looking at the picture he had just taken, frowning. 

“Shoot, it didn’t come out like I wanted it to,” he said with a sigh. _“Yeah, well maybe if you didn’t go around surprising people you’d get a better picture.”_ I thought, still feeling put out about being caught off guard. Marco looked up at me, wearing the most charming smile he could get away with. I knew then I was in trouble. “Jean, we should take a picture together and use them for both of our contact photos!” he said excitedly, looking so damn hopeful.

Fuck.

I let out a long suffering sigh. I couldn’t complain to that face even if I wanted to. “Fine, but if we’re gonna do this I’m taking the picture. My phone has a better camera. And we can look at the picture while we take it, ‘cause I don’t want to have to do this more than once.” Well, just because I was agreeing didn’t mean I had to come quietly. I pulled up my camera app and gestured to Marco. “Alright, get your ass over here, Freckles.” 

Marco looked absolutely ecstatic. He scooted over next to me the couch, throwing his arm around my shoulders. I flipped the screen so that it used the camera on the front, what I referred to as ‘selfie mode’, and began lining up the shot. Marco took a moment, debating on his pose before finally announcing in a cheerful voice, “Okie dokie. I’m ready whenever you are, Ponyboy.”

He settled on a smile, flashing a peace sign at the camera. I tilted my head just so, donning my most charming, smug, lopsided grin. “3, 2, 1.” I counted down before tapping the screen. The shutter clicked and I pulled my phone in to check the picture. Neither of us had blinked and honestly it wasn’t a bad picture. I clicked my tongue and shook my head. “Damn… Why do you have to be so much taller than me, anyway?” I complained, but a smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. I texted the picture to Marco and got busy setting it as his contact picture. I closed out of the app and noticed the time on my home screen. “Fuck… I totally forgot about the laundry!” I gasped.

“OH NO I DID TOO!” Marco exclaimed. He scrambled off of the couch, grabbing his laundry basket and heading for the door. I grabbed mine as well and followed him down the hall, but at a much calmer pace. I didn’t care too much. The way I saw it, as long as I didn’t completely forget, my clothes would still be there by the time I got there. 

Marco somehow managed to make it to the laundry room without running anyone down this time, even in his rush. He held the door open for me, which, let’s be honest here, surprised me absolutely none. Marco went to the washer he had been using and emptied his damp clothes into his laundry basket. He took the basket to one of the dryers and began placing the clothes into it with a few fabric sheets. “It’s a good thing you said something, Jean. It completely slipped my mind,” he said.

“Yeah. Well… We made it so no harm done, right?” I said as I followed suit, pulling out the wet lump of a mixture of whites and colors that was my laundry. I tossed the entire heap into the closest dryer, not giving it much of a second thought. I looked down at my watch as I started the dryer. It was starting to get late. Well, not too late for me. Honestly, I’d always been a bit of an insomniac. I had the worst time trying to fall asleep, and now that I was out of the house and on my own I didn’t really mind staying up all night and only running on a few hours of sleep. Besides, it was only like… 11. But I didn’t have a clue what Marco’s sleeping habits were like and after all it _was_ still only Thursday. It was possible he had a class to make it to in the morning. “Hey, what time is your first class tomorrow? Or do you have class?”

"Uh, I actually managed to get Fridays off somehow. How about you?I'd hate to keep you out this late knowing you have classes to attend to tomorrow. Especially if they're early in the morning." He said, fidgeting slightly. 

I let out a low whistle and answered, “Alright… I can’t even pretend I’m not jealous. Yeah I have class tomorrow. But just one and it’s not ’til 4. Political Science. Shouldn’t be too bad. So don’t worry about keeping me out. I’d be awake anyway. Who needs sleep when they make coffee?” I told him with a teasing grin. Coffee was important. Coffee was my life’s blood. ‘Cause the only thing I hated more than trying to sleep was having to wake up. “So, do you want to go back and try to catch the tail end of the movie until the dryers are done? Or do you think we should just chill here so we don’t forget again?” 

Marco opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by an angry growl from his stomach. His face took on a deep red hue and he shoved both his hands in his hoodie pocket, rubbing at his stomach. “Uh, actually, would you mind if we ran to get some food somewhere? Like maybe Taco Bell or McDonalds or something? I forgot that I skipped out on dinner. I’ll buy something for you also,” he offered. He still looked so uncomfortable. I kind of hated it.

My face broke out in an enormous grin in answer. “That. Is. Brilliant. You’re a fucking geniusI” I exclaimed. “I’m kind of starving too, actually. And I don’t have anything left in my room ‘cause Sasha ate it all,” I added with a roll of my eyes. It said a lot that I was already almost used to this shit after only a week. “But dude. Totally don’t worry about buying me something. I’ve got it.” I told Marco, waving him off. “In fact, let me get yours too. You need to save up to replace that phone of yours.” I teased as we headed out of the laundry room. 

My family did pretty well for themselves but the money had never mattered to me. It still didn’t. And I figured if I had it and I didn’t really want to use it than little things like this for the few friends I had were really the best option. And sure, that had led to issues in the past. There had been times where people only pretended to be my friend to see what they could get out of me, just to use me. But I didn’t get that vibe from Marco. Maybe it was stupid after only knowing the guy for a night, but I really wanted to trust him. “Let me just go grab my wallet. Oh! Do you wanna drive or should I?” I asked.

Marco smiled, looking incredibly pleased as he followed me out into the hall. “Since I suggested I’ll drive. It’s the least I could do for dragging you out like this. You can pick wherever we go, I’ll eat just about anything,” he said, catching up to walk next to me.  

I noticed a strange look cross his face as we walked down the hall and spent a moment trying to figure out what was causing it. That’s when I first noticed the sounds. Marco stopped where he was walking, his face turning a brilliant shade of red. It was still muffled out in the hallway but it was pretty obvious there were people doing the do. With the time of night it couldn’t have been much else. I laughed at the look on Marco’s face. I really couldn’t help it; the poor kid looked horrified. But as I continued down the hall the moans got louder and my laugh died in my throat. 

Apparently Reiner and Bertholdt made it home while we were switching over the laundry. 

We came to rest outside my door and I turned to face Marco, my expression grim. “I’m really… really sorry about this. And if you want to wait here I wouldn’t blame you at all.” I told him. God, this was embarrassing. I turned back to face the door, closed my eyes long enough to take a steadying breath, and turned the knob.  

Marco apparently decided not to make me face my fate alone and followed me into my room. I did my best to move as fast as I could but let me tell you, it is fucking hard to remember where your wallet is when all your brain power is being used to block out the sound of your roommates going at it on the other side of a very thin wall. So far I had already made it through their 'breaking in the new room' sex and the ‘we survived the first day of class' sex, but this was the first weekend and it was a bit different. I was gonna have an awful time trying to look them in the eye tomorrow. Not that it would bother Reiner at all. He always looked like the cat that ate the canary the next day. Bertholdt was a different story entirely. The second he was within the line of sight, he'd duck his head, turn bright red, and break into a nervous sweat. Which was kind of funny because he certainly didn't sound shy right now. A shiver ran down my spine as a very… uh… colorful request was made.  

Finally I found my wallet, shoved it in my pocket and high-tailed my ass to the door. Marco was frozen in the middle of the living room, eyes the size of dinner plates and looking like he had forgotten how to breathe. With a renewed sense of purpose, I grabbed him by the shoulder and led him back out into the hall. As soon as the door closed, effectively separating us from my roommates,I cleared my throat trying to drive away the awkwardness. “Told you it’s a little awkward…” I mumbled, unable to meet Marco’s eye.

Marco sighed and rested a hand on my shoulder, gripping it tightly. “Well, that was something, wasn’t it?” he said. I looked back up at him then. Even though his voice sounded kind of weak, his eyes were kind. He patted his stomach, smiling thinly. “Anyways, if we don’t get some food soon I think I could just about faint!”

Just like that the tension was broken and I started laughing. “Wow… Still thinking about food at a time like this. That is impressive.” I said, smiling and shaking my head. “Alright then, lead the way, Freckles. It’s not like I know where you’re parked. Or what your car looks like.”

“Well, that would make sense,” he replied. I followed him down the halls and out of the building to the parking lot, but the entire time I couldn’t stop thinking about that. I didn’t know what his car looked like. It was a stupid thing. A really small, stupid thing. But there was a lot more to it than that. I barely knew anything about the guy. I didn’t know where he was from or how old he was or anything. Just that he was hilarious, he liked The Boondock Saints, he liked scary movies, and was probably the nicest person on the face of the planet. And somehow that was enough. 

Marco pulled his keys out of his pocket and walked up to a green Firebird. I had to just stop and… stare for a moment as he unlocked the door. “Uh, just one moment!” he called apologetically (not that it really mattered cause I was still in a state of shock) and leaned over to the passenger door and manually unlocked it. “I don’t know why but this door has always given me trouble.”  

“Wait… This is yours?” I gaped, finally making my way over to the passenger side of the car. I don’t really know what I was expecting Marco’s car to look like but it was probably safe to say ‘not this.’ I carefully opened the door and climbed in, running my fingertips over the seat and the door gently. “This is gorgeous…” I whispered, absolutely in awe. I turned my attention back to Marco, my eyes wide and honest as I announced, “I think I’m in love with your car. 

Marco laughed, warm and hearty, at that. “Well, maybe one day if we ever go out for late night fast food I’ll let you drive it,” he offered. He turned the key in the ignition and the engine fucking _purred_.

“That would be fucking sweet. I would love you forever if I got to drive this thing.” I told him as I looked around the car, taking in the upholstery and the radio. It looked like it was all in excellent shape. Marco must take really good care of it.

He pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the highway. “Oh, I hope you don’t mind my music. It helps me concentrate better and makes the drive seem less long,” he told me as me pushed a button on the CD player and ‘Mr. Brightside’ started playing. 

I couldn’t help the amused huff that left my lips. Somehow the song suited Marco. “Nah, it’s fine. The Killers are pretty cool.” I told him. We fell into silence, just letting the music play in the background, and I turned to watch the familiar streets pass by through the window. “So… Uhhh…” I started, trying to think of something to say. This was the first time there had really been a lull in the conversation and I wasn’t sure what to talk about to get it going again. After a moment I considered what I had been thinking about while we left the dorm. This could be the perfect opportunity to get to know the guy a little better. “Are you a freshman then?”

Marco turned his head to look at me for a split second before turning his attention back to the road before him. “Uh, actually I’m a sophomore. I transferred here for this semester.” He answered. My eyebrows shot up. So Marco was older than me, huh? That was kind of surprising. Well, we were both new to the campus at least. “What about you?” he asked. “I kind of forgot to ask earlier.”

“I’m a freshman.” I told him, looking down at my hands for a beat before looking back up at Marco’s profile as he drove. I added what I now knew to my cache of knowledge about the other boy. But that answer in itself left a whole new set of questions. “So… Where’d you transfer from then? Hell… Where are you from period?” I asked. There was still so much to learn about him, but it was actually kind of cool. Like something to look forward to. 

“Oh, well I’m from New Mexico. Albuquerque actually.”He answered. “I went to UNM. But it seems I’ve lost a bit of my tan since I’ve gotten here.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key and handed it to me. “See?” He said. I looked down at the key. Attached was a small plastic key ring with his previous university’s logo and a picture of a red and brown canyon filled landscape. “I’m actually half Navajo on my mom’s side. My dad’s from Belgium though.” He explained.

My eyes widened and I looked up at him from where I had been inspecting the key chain. “New Mexico? What made you wake up one day and suddenly go ‘Hmm… You know what sounds fun. Moving to fucking Massachusetts.’?” I asked. Because damn, that was one hell of a road trip. The bit about his parents was pretty cool though, and now that he mentioned it I could kind of see the markers in his skin tone and facial structure. But it wasn’t like I was staring at the guy’s face or anything. Because that would be weird. “Not that I’m complaining about you being here at all. Trust me. But really, moving across the country sounds like a pretty big commitment.”

Marco’s expression changed and his fingers tightened around the steering wheel. “Uh, well, there were some complications at home and this was the only school I applied to that offered me a full ride. Not that I don’t like it here, because I think I’ll have a really good time studying here. But I guess simply put, that is just how things played out. It’s kind of funny how things work out that way, isn’t it?” He said. His voice sounded cheery, but his smile looked tired. “Anyway, how did you end up here?”

I let out a small “Oh…” instantly feeling guilting for asking. It was obviously something Marco didn’t want to dwell on at the moment. “Yeah… I guess so. At least you’re here now, right?” I said, trying for a half-hearted attempt at a smirk. “As for me, there’s really no super special story. I grew up in Trost, so it was always a bit of a no brainer.” I answered, hoping to lighten up the mood. “I thought about studying somewhere else just to get away, but I don’t know. Maybe in the future,” I added with a shrug. There were plenty of reasons to stay put for at least this year, but that wasn’t really important at the moment. “And this way I already know everything about this place so I can make sure to show you all the highlights. Just leave it to me,” I teased, throwing in a wink. 

Marco smiled, seemingly grateful that I didn’t press the matter of his cross-country move. He turned onto Trost Ave. where all of the fast food chains were bundled up. He looked over at me and asked, “Where would you like to eat?” 

I turned to look out the windshield, taking in all the signs that lit up either side of the street. I hummed in contemplation as I thought. Honestly, I only ever really ate at a handful of places anyway so I shrugged. “Let’s just go to McDonalds,” I told him. “Quick, easy, and I want a McFlurry and some fries.” 

He nodded and pulled into the drive thru. We had to wait behind a few cars before we could order, so Marco went over a checklist of what he wanted to order. “I think I’m going to get a Big Mac, a Powerade, and an apple pie. Wait, I think I’ll get two apple pies.” He said. We finally got to pull up to the order screen and he told the server what he had just told me, along with a large fry. He paused before turning to me. “Jean, what kind of McFlurry did you want? Sorry, I guess I wasn’t paying attention.”

Not paying attention, he said. The fact that he remembered even that was impressive enough considering I had just mentioned what I wanted in passing when we were trying to decide where to eat. “M&M.” I told him, before adding, “Actually, get a double bacon cheeseburger too. All this talk of food is making me hungry.” I wiggled around in my seat to be able to reach into my pocket and grab my wallet. I unfolded it and pulled out my debit card, handing it to Marco. “There. Like I said, this time’s on me.” 

Marco took the card and pulled around to the window to pay. Once he was handed the card back he handed it back to me. He pulled up to the next window where he was greeted by an… interesting employee. “Alright, good evening sir! Do you need anything Extra?” he asked. Marco turned to give him his undivided attention and froze up. The man had vibrant orange hair and piercing green eyes. There were two moles on his chin and his smile was so friendly it almost bordered on creepy. “Uh, sir?” he asked, breaking Marco out of his little moment.

“What? Oh! Uh, no we’re fine! Thank you though.” Marco answered, stammering the entire time. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. The worker laughed, beaming at Marco. He handed over the food and wished us a good night before closing the window. It took all of my strength to keep a straight face as Marco handed me my bag of food and my McFlurry.

I waited until we were pulling back out onto the highway to say anything, using the time to fish out my order of fries and munch on a few. “So…” I began, fighting hard against the tug at the corner of my lips. “What was all of that about?” I asked, dipping a few fries into my McFlurry. That had always been my favorite combo. I loved the mix of hot and cold, sweet and salty, soft and crunchy. 

Marco took a sip of his Powerade, apparently trying to postpone the question long enough to think of a viable answer. “I was thinking about whether or not I remembered to order the two apple pies that I was going to give Eren and Armin later. Sometimes I completely blank out on things you know?” He answered with a nervous laugh. 

I smiled around a mouthful of fries. “Uh huh… Suuuurrrreee.” I said as I swallowed. “So… Eren and Armin? Are they your roommates?” I asked. I figured if I was gonna be a decent friend I could do him the favor of changing the topic. I was kind of enjoying myself though. Marco was absolutely adorable when he was all flustered like that. I froze as that thought registered. Wait… What? I furrowed my brow and did my best to push the thought away. It wasn’t my fault that the dude reminded me of some sort of baby animal. 

“Yeah, I actually talked to them a few times before I moved out here. One of my friends from back home made me go on a video chat site but we ended up talking to those two for a long time. They actually suggested I try for here and well, here I am.” Marco explained, seemingly grateful for the distraction from the strange McDonalds employee.

I just smiled. “That’s pretty cool. It’s good at least that you already knew someone when you got here.” I said. I knew there were kids here from my old school. It was easy to go here, with it in the same city and everything so a lot of kids did. I didn’t really know any of them well though. “My roommate is Connie. He’s short and bald and loud and kinda a moron. But he’s alright. You’ll probably meet him and his best friend Sasha soon. And then our suite mates are Reiner and Bertholdt… who… I uh… believe you’re familiar with now.” I shoved a spoonful of ice cream into my mouth for an excuse to stop talking.  

Marco’s face turned pink and he said, “Well, although I didn’t meet them I definitely heard them.” I nearly bit my tongue in surprise at that coming out of his mouth. He pulled back into the dorm parking lot and shut off the car. He worked on opening his door while trying to collect his McDonalds bag and his drink. I opened my own door and did the same. “If you could hit the lock before you close the door I would appreciate it a lot!” He called as he locked his own door and closed it with his hip. 

I hit the lock button, as asked, and closed the door. “Yeah, I think the whole floor probably heard them.” I said with a sigh as I walked around the car to meet up with Marco again. “I bet they’re out cold by now. Especially if they were drunk. Which with Reiner wouldn’t surprise me. But Bertl… Ehh, who knows?” I said with a shrug. “Either way I’ll probably play it safe and sleep with my iPod on tonight.” I sighed as we walked back into the building. “I bet the clothes are dry now. What do you think?” 

“I forgot again! Oh Jeez, Jean, how am I ever going to remember my laundry without you there to remind me?” Marco exclaimed, looking rather disappointed in himself. He bit his lip slightly, seeming to weigh something important before coming to a decision. “Hey, uh, Jean? If they’re still, um, doing the thing or they start doing it again just shoot me a text and you can come over to my dorm and hang out if you like.” 

I paused, looking at Marco. “Yeah? That’d be okay? Oh God, you just became my hero, you little life saver you.” I said with a smile and a sigh of relief. “I bet it’ll be alright for the rest of the night, but knowing them I’m gonna have to take you up on that sooner or later.” I said, still smiling like an idiot. I was rather pleased that Marco wasn’t tired of me yet. So far so good, right? 

We walked to the laundry room and piled all of our now clean clothes into our laundry baskets. I balanced my McDonalds bag on top and followed him out the laundry room and down the hall. I kinda hated seeing him go, but I wasn’t about to admit that. We stopped outside his room and he smiled. “Well, this is me. I had a lot of fun tonight, Jean. Thank you for being so nice to me. It’s nice knowing I can call you my friend. Just shoot me a text whenever you feel like hanging out again,” he said. “Good luck with Reiner and Bert. Good night.” 

I couldn’t help but smile at his words. “Yeah, absolutely. It wasn’t so bad, was it?” I said in reply. My smile morphed into a smirk. “I don’t think Reiner and Bertl will be a problem. If they were still going at it I bet we could hear them from here.” I joked. I took a reluctant step towards my room. Connie and Sasha were likely to be back by now and for the first time since I started school I at least had something to tell them. “Night, Marco…” I called, watching him walk into his room.

I finished the walk back to my own room in silence. Opening the door I saw that I had indeed been right and Sasha and Connie were spread out on the couch together. “Do you have any idea what time it is young man?” Connie chided, putting on an over dramatic face that was much too serious for the bonehead I’d grown to know. Sasha broke out in giggles next to him. 

“What are you, my mom?” I shot back, rolling my eyes. I walked past them to sit down my laundry basket in my room. Once done, I walked back out with what was left of my food. I sat down on the floor and spread it out on the coffee table. It took all of five seconds for Sasha to steal my fries. I just glared at her. It wasn’t very effective.

“So where were you anyway? I’m surprised you even left the room,” Connie teased, stealing one of my fries from Sasha as I started in on my burger. 

I shrugged. “I was bored so I did laundry. Got food with a friend. No big deal.” It was strange that my night could be summed up so easily when it felt like so much more than that. It seemed way more eventful as it was happening. Moving to take a bite out of my burger I noticed that my knuckles were bruised and bloodied from the fight I’d gotten into in the hallway.  

“Oh a friend?” Connie chimed, latching onto that piece of information and running with it. “What’s his name? What’s he like? How did you meet?” Out of the corner of my eye I saw Sasha commandeer the rest of my McFlurry when she thought I wasn’t looking.   

“Dude, you do know you’re not actually my mom, right?” I reminded Connie. I finished my sandwich and wiped my hands on my sweatpants before balling up the wrapper and dropping it in the bag. “Look, it was long night. I’m gonna hit the hay,” I said, standing up and grabbing my trash. I considered the fact that I didn’t really want to tell Connie about Marco while I dropped it in the garbage can in the corner. He was the first friend I’d managed to make alone and I felt weirdly protective over that. “Try to keep it down you two,” I called as I walked into mine and Connie’s room, closing the door behind me.  

I changed into night clothes and climbed into bed, thinking about Marco and wondering when it would be acceptable to hang out with him again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first chapter and this one were originally going to be posted as one, but because it got so long we decided to split it. It may seem like nothing but dorks being dorks at this point, but I promise this is all leading up to an actual plot. Things will really start to pick up in the next chapter or two!


	3. Listen for the Bell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jean goes to class, spends too much time thinking about his freckled friend, fears for his life, and a rivalry is born.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somewhere outside that finish line  
> I square up and break through the chains  
> And I hit like a raging bull  
> Anointed by the blood, I take the reins  
> Cut from the cloth, of a flag that  
> Bears the name of "Battle Born"  
> They'll call me the contender  
> They'll listen for the bell  
> With my face flashing crimson from the fires of hell
> 
> Flesh and Bone- The Killers

The next day was a lot easier than the rest of the week had been. Maybe it was because I only had one class and it wasn’t until the afternoon. Maybe it was because it was Friday and I had officially survived the first week and the weekend was just around the corner. Or maybe it was because of Marco and actually having a decent friend for the first time in what seemed like forever. I don’t know, but I woke up feeling rested and ready to face the day. I was almost excited for a chance to get to hang out with him again. It’s amazing what having something to look forward to can do for your mood.

I finally rolled out of bed around three o’clock to start getting ready for my class. I changed into my favorite pair of grey skinny jeans and an old, faded Marvel t-shirt under my red flannel shirt. My reflection was smirking back at me as I tried to tame my bed head before finally calling it quits and throwing on a red beanie. All in all I felt good, better than I had in a long time, and as I grabbed my backpack and locked the door behind me I felt ready for anything.

When I passed Marco's room on my way to buy a cup of coffee I couldn't help but smile.

I ended up making it to class, a warm cup of black coffee in hand, and still had a couple of minutes to spare. Hell yeah, I was on a roll today. Nothing could bring me down. I walked into the lecture hall listed for my class, Political Sciences 104 with Dr. Erwin Smith, and took a seat towards the middle of the room. Again I marveled at my luck with getting such a good seat as most of the students had already arrived, even if there were still a few trickling in.

A quick glance towards the front of the class told me that the professor wasn't here yet. Which, you know... I was okay with. I already knew today was just going to be going over more introductions to the course and reading through the fucking syllabus. Just like every day this week had been. God damn, I was so fucking tired of reading syllabuses. Wait... No... Syllabi? Yeah. Syllabi. Anyway, I didn't really mind putting off the inevitable a few more minutes. Instead I pulled out my phone to try to kill time. You know, check Facebook, delete junk email from my inbox, that kind of thing.

I absolutely did not scroll through my contacts until I found Marco's name and look at the picture of the two of us that we had taken the night before. Nor did I debate when the soonest I could casually text him and see if he wanted to chill would be without it being awkward.

I was saved from my absolutely not humiliating in the least actions by something pinging off the back of my head and the kid a few seats away attempting to whisper-yell (quite poorly, might I add), "Hey! What's up, Blondie?"

My hand instinctually flew up to my head, finding the offending piece of paper that had lodged itself in my hair and removing it. My gaze drifted over to the source, falling naturally into a glare as I whispered back harshly, “What?”

“Uh, how's it going I guess. I'm just kind of bored waiting around for the prof to come in,” the kid said, looking like he hadn’t really thought this through and was second guessing himself. Way to do it AFTER you threw shit at my head, moron. I blew out a long breath of air, deciding to give the kid a chance. He didn't seem too bad, I guess. Maybe a little too energetic; the way his green eyes were shining looked a little manic. But hey, maybe I wasn't the only one looking forward to the weekend. And besides, I was starting to get used to that with all the time I was spending with Connie and Sasha.

The problem was I had nothing to talk about. I didn’t know the guy and I had always been shit at small talk. My parents were absolute pros when it came to chatting people up, but apparently that wasn’t one of the genetic gifts they had passed on to me. It just wasn’t how I rolled. I always said what I thought. Having to try to stroke egos and what not always rubbed me the wrong way. I rolled my eyes ever so slightly as I tried to figure out how to reply. "Uhh...It's okay I guess. Just looking forward to getting this class over with. If I have to look at another syllabus I may gag."

The kid nodded, his messy brown hair flopping around a bit at the motion. "I know the feeling. Hopefully this class won't feel /too/ long. I'd rather not be stuck in a class where the only thing I can think about is the outside world," he said with a sigh at the end. He looked like he was in actual pain at the thought of having to sit calmly through a class, like being cooped up indoors was a personal punishment against him. I watched as he spaced out, clearly thinking about something waiting for him outside the walls of the Humanities Building.

Eventually he came back to himself and again turned to face me. His face lit up like something had just occurred to him. God, this kid was easy to read. His expressions told you absolutely anything you wanted to know about what he was thinking. "The name's Jaeger. What's yours?" he said by way of introductions, apparently realizing we hadn't gotten to that part yet. Seriously? Jaeger? Like the alcohol? What, was he one of those brainless frat pledges who had earned some stupid drunken nickname at a party and wore it like a badge of honor? Yeaaah, I didn't know how long this conversation would last if that was the case. I didn't have the patience for that shit.

But I couldn't really just leave it hanging there so I went ahead and answered his question. "Uh... Jean," I said. I watched as one of his eyebrows raised and once again found myself thinking how ridiculously easy this kid was to read. It was obvious he had a couple doubts about whether or not that was my real name or if I had just decided to go by a French name to seem cool. Wouldn't be the first time I'd gotten that one. With a sigh I flicked my gaze back up to the podium, hoping to find the professor at the front, preparing to begin class. No such luck. Go figure. Oh well. With the lack of any other options, I turned my attention back to 'Jaeger'. "So I've got to ask, if you hate the idea of sitting through a class so much, why are you even here?" I asked, not really wanting to put up with some jerk that didn't bother to take school seriously and then would ask for my notes the day before the test. I may not be a big fan of school myself, but dammit, I had a goal. I was gonna get ridiculously high marks, graduate, go to law school, have an impressive resume and get noticed by a good firm. Maybe even go into corporate law and work for my dad's company. Everything I figured my parents wanted from me. And I wasn't gonna let some tool get in the way of that.

Jaeger's face instantly changed, apparently not impressed with my question. It was like a switch was flipped. His lip curled in as he practically snarled at me. And to think people accused me of having a short temper. "Because surprisingly enough it's required for my major. Believe me if I didn't have to be here I'd be out that door so fast you couldn't even see me," he retorted.

I held up a hand and rolled my eyes. “Whoa killer...." I said, slouching back into my seat. "I believe it. Clearly you have better things to be doing with your life." My voice was heavy with sarcasm. It was hard for me to take this punk seriously. I wondered for a moment if he was one of those guys who just came to school to party. I mean, I couldn't say a whole lot on the topic. I would pretty much jump at the chance to get invited out and actually get to start meeting people. I mean yeah, I had ambitions and plans, a career I was actually gunning for, but it'd be a lie to say that partying wasn't one of the reasons I chose Rose University over choosing to study in France like I had considered. Because sure, it's just as easy to drink and act young and stupid in France as it is in Massachusetts, but if I had chosen to study abroad I would have been living with my grandmother, and I wanted to get all the 'young and stupid' out of my system before I did that. Alert the press, Jean Kirschtein actually cares what someone thinks. But what can I say, my gran-mere was an exception and I would always value her opinion of me.

“Hell yeah I do," Jaeger said a little too eagerly, apparently not catching my sarcasm. "Man, if this guy is like fifteen minutes late we can leave or something, right?" He groaned, stretching to gaze around the classroom. Well this was going nowhere fast. I pulled out my phone and deliberated once again on whether or not I should text Marco. Maybe it’d make time pass quicker. And maybe if he thought I was busy, this Jaeger kid, as he had dubbed himself, would leave me alone. But no such luck. Pretty much as soon as the thought crossed my mind he was trying to strike up a conversation again. "Soooo, Jean is it? What's your major here?”

 _“At least he didn’t throw something at me this time,”_ I thought with a sigh as I turned back towards my classmate. "Pre-law. Hoping to go to law school,” I answered. I was still debating whether or not I wanted to apply here or not though. But I had time to decide. I then continued with the obligatory question, "What about you?"

Jaeger looked about as bored as I did as he kept checking the time on his phone or gazing up to the front of the class. “I'm actually majoring in criminal law,” he answered, looking down at his phone again. “One day I'm planning on working with the F.B.I.,” he finished with such boredom in his voice that he might as well have been talking about what he was going to pick up from the grocery store.

“Right,” I said, careful to keep my voice free of any real tone or inflection. This kid was insane. Did he have any idea how selective that job was? Or how dangerous? "Well...At least you dream big, I guess,” I settled for saying. "Not very realistically, but big." I looked from Jaeger back to the front of the room. Still no professor. Did he have office hours before this that had run late or something? Might as well keep talking then. "Though....They're pretty picky, from what I hear. So you might have to get used to actually making it to class AND paying attention if you're gonna manage to impress them."

Yeah, apparently that had been the wrong thing to say. I slowly watched the kid’s blood begin to boil, his face filling with color. His eyebrows were so furrowed and knit together I was actually starting to worry they might stick like that. "Oh, I'm sorry I forgot, we all have to enjoy our classes 100% or else we won't pass. Thanks for giving me that information, horse face. And if you have a problem just fucking say you do and stop being a passive aggressive little shit about it,” he raved before all but diving head first at the desk and pulling his hood over his eyes. "Now, if you’ll excuse me I'm going to sit here and wait until this fucker professor gets here."

Jesus fucking Christ. Could this kid be more of a melodramatic brat? I rolled my eyes and slumped back in my seat, crossing my arms over my chest. But as the silence pressed in between us his words began to grate more and more at my mind. Specifically his ‘horse face’ comment. It was so close to Marco’s nickname for me and felt like a personal attack. I grew more and more pissed off as the seconds ticked past. How dare that little shit take something special like that nickname and try to taint it. Who the fuck asked him anyway? "You know what? What the fuck ever man. You join the F.B.I. Be all that you can be. I don't give a shit. Hope you enjoy getting shot at. I'll take a nice safe job where I make a steady, reasonable income and know I'll make it home every night,” I spat, biting the inside of my cheek and sinking down even further into my seat.

Jaeger lifted the edge of his hoodie with his forefinger and his thumb, peaking out at me from under the green material. He smirked, apparently proud of himself for finally getting under my skin. Like he was actually enjoying fucking with me now. God, I would give just about anything to wipe that smug look off his face. "I will join the F.B.I. Maybe one day when I'm all nestled down and on the job I'll take pride in knowing I've made more of a difference in the real world rather than sitting around in a court room taking dick and bribes for a living,” he hissed across the empty seat between us, a small snarl curling on his lips.

Okay… That got my attention. Who the FUCK did this kid think he was anyway? I turned to look at him, leaning towards his desk, brows furrowed and voice deathly serious. "Listen here, you little punk. You can say what you want about me. I could really give a shit. But do NOT ever think that I would stoop that low. You don't know a thing about me,” I began, feeling as though steam was literally about to burst from my ears. “All I did was point out that you picked a hell of a job to be gunning after and I think you're a moron for being so suicidal as to look forward to the thought of getting yourself shot at. I'm an honest man, so I spoke my mind. But that's the thing. I'm an HONEST MAN. So don't you DARE accuse me of being crooked when so far I’ve only gotten as far as sitting in the same classroom as you." I downright seethed to the kid before leaning back into my own space and retaking my position with my arms crossed. ”And don't be so closed minded as to think that lawyers can't make a difference, you arrogant little shit." I tacked on, not so much as even sparing the other student a glance.

That comment had just hit a little too close to home, I guess. My dad was a big time business man, and in all honesty, I’m not entirely sure what his job entails. Numbers have never really been my thing. But I know about the liars and the cheats he has to work with. About the monsters that would steal a company straight out from under someone, leaving them flat. I knew there were things that went on behind closed doors in that world, where people would do just about anything if it pushed them up that corporate ladder. I don’t actually know if my dad has ever been known to accept a bribe or to cheat his way, but honestly it probably wouldn’t surprise me much, as much as I hate to say it. That company is his baby, and there is nothing in the world that means more to him. Including his own family. I never wanted to turn into that. I couldn’t. I had someone looking up to me, someone I had to be a good role model for. And I couldn’t let her down.

That's when the doors opened at the front of the room and in walked a short man with black hair and bored looking, half lidded eyes. His gaze was like ice, hard and cold, and his face read murder. Despite his height it was clear he was not a child. Something about the way he carried himself or something… I’m not really sure what it was, but it drew in your attention and demanded your respect. There wasn’t a single doubt in my mind that this was not a man to be messed with.

He walked to the podium at the front and started arranging papers and booting up the computer, getting logged in and pulling up the PowerPoint presentation. Was that the professor? If so it should be a pretty interesting class after all, because I would be surprised if this guy could see over the top of the podium. Beside me I heard Jaeger let out a breathy, awe-filled “…Whoa,” followed by a small gasp. He must have realized his mistake pretty quickly, because when I looked over at him he already had a hand clamped over his mouth, eyes wide and full of regret. Oh, but how the tides had turned. A smirk crept its way onto my lips. "What's this? Is someone hot for teacher?" I chimed in a sing song voice, like I had just discovered the most beautiful hidden treasure imaginable. "You might want to be careful there. I have a feeling that steamy affairs with your college professors are something they might frown upon over at the Bureau.”

However then entered another man, this one blonde and much taller and broader. Honestly he was built like a Greek sculpture, or maybe a soccer mom’s wet dream. He walked up to the podium and the black haired man moved to take a seat behind him near the chalk board. He sat down and crossed one knee over his other in an almost dainty fashion, but then leaned back to rest his arms against the tray that stuck out to hold the erasers, looking as bored as ever. Apparently this guy wasn't the professor then. I let out a disappointed sigh. "Damn...." I muttered before pulling out a notebook and a pen, preparing to take notes. Not that I believed we would go over anything interesting today, but still, office hours and email addresses would probably end up being useful at some point.

The professor was finally here and I just wanted to get on with this day. I was completely ready to put all thoughts of Jaeger and the damn F.B.I out of my mind and just focus on class, but of course that little shit had to get in the way. His face flushed, obviously embarrassed at getting caught drooling over the petite man in the front of the room. “Shut the fuck up pony boy!” he whispered hoarsely at me, not wanting to draw attention to us now that the professor was actually here.

It was like a stroke of lightning, the way the anger instantly rushed through my veins. As if his horse comment before hadn’t been enough, now he had to go and actually use the exact words that Marco had given to me. I shot him a glare that could freeze over Hell. “You don’t get to call me that, you asshole,” I shot under my breath with all the venom I could muster. That name was reserved for Marco, dammit.

Jaeger shot a glare at me, eyebrow raised in question, but shook it off and finally managed to say nothing. About time the asshole learned how to shut his gaping mouth. Instead he pulled up his own bag from beside his desk and began rummaging around before finally pulling out a small memo pad and a pen. The professor finished organizing his notes on the podium and finally got around to starting class. I turned forward in my seat, happy for an excuse to try to forget Jaeger’s existence.

"I'm sorry to keep you all waiting. I had a meeting before this class that ended up running long,” he apologized, flashing a brilliant smile to the class. I swear to God I could see his blue eyes sparkling, even from several rows away. He turned his attention back to the projector screen, flipping to the first page in his PowerPoint. It was a list of all his contact information, including office hours and location. However there was another set of contact information just beneath his. "I'm Dr. Erwin Smith and this is Political Science 104, just in case any of you stumbled into the wrong class. If you contact me with a question I will do my best to get back to you the same day, however I teach several other classes and sometimes emails can get lost or I won't have the time to reply before whatever you are working on is due. That is why I have my TA, Levi.” He paused, gesturing back towards the black haired man, now identified as Levi. “His information is on the screen and if you ever need any help you can feel free to contact him. He's here to help you." Levi didn't look like he was there to help _anyone_ , in my opinion. The expression on his face looked more to me like he was daring the students to even speak to him and promising a swift and certain death if they did.

Out of the corner of my eye I watched as Jaeger looked up at Levi. Their eyes met for a second and Jaeger froze before he dodged the intense glare. Instead he anxiously scribbled down the information on the screen, trying to look calm and composed but giving himself away with the way he fiddled with his pen and refused to look up once he had completed his task. I turned my attention back to my own notes, making sure I’d copied everything down correctly, and was therefore caught off guard when Jaeger quietly said to me, “Levi looks like he could decapitate with a glance, doesn’t he?”

I let out a light scoff, nodding my head in agreement. “Yeah… That would be putting it mildly,” I replied with a smirk. Not a second later I realized that I was making civil conversation with Jaeger and remembered that I didn’t want to be nice to this asshat. I clicked my jaw shut and turned my attention back to Dr. Smith as he flipped to a new slide and began going over the syllabus. I let out a long-suffering sigh and tried to prepare my wrist for a shit ton of writing, but he then informed us that he would be uploading a copy to his class page that we could print out and hold onto. Oh happy day! I think I just found my new favorite teacher.

In light of this news I decided to let myself relax a little and began to tune out. But then an idea hit me. Levi might not be our professor after all, but he was our TA. A smirk crept over my lips and I turned again to look at Jaeger. I just couldn’t help myself as I asked, “So… Are you going to be attending Levi’s office hours for some… special help there lover boy?”

I watched in amusement as his eyes shot open. If this kid was gonna keep running his mouth I was gonna run mine right back. Jaeger squinted and contorted his face into something that approximated a grimace. “I don't know about you, but where I come from we don't suck our way to victory. I'm going to pass this class by sheer effort and hard work, not by taking it up the ass, Blondie,” he said, taking on a sly grin at his dig at me. ”Plus, I'm not into him as much as you'd like to think. I mean he's a looker, but let's be honest, he's no Ian Somerhalder or Megan Fox.”

I had to bite my lip in order to stop a smile at his comment about sucking your way to the top. Honestly I couldn't help but find that entertaining, as I knew that there were some people 'where I came from' who had done just that. I grew up behind the scenes of the corporate world and knew just how the game was played, how corrupt it could be. But that was why I was dead set on never being one of those people. That's exactly what I was here to prove. "Well at least your brains aren't all scrambled. But come on, really? 'He's a looker'? Who talks like that?” I asked with a bit of a snort.

"Well, I guess me since I just said it. I mean the guy's hot, don't get me wrong, but like he's not like someone I'd do on the spot. Plus he looks like he has the anger of a million soldiers or something. Like, he looks like the type of guy that would lead you into battle and kick all kinds of ass while looking like he never really gave a shit. And that kind of people are to be feared like no one else,” he explained, actually kind of being civil. Which was weird. “So anyway, Blondie, why are you so concerned about who I’d do and who I wouldn’t? Want to try some of this Jaeger-Bomb?” he asked, resting his chin in his hand and doing some sort of smarmy something-or-other with his eyebrows that was absolutely revolting.

I scrunched my face up in disgust. “Oh, God no.” I had to actually physically shake that idea out of my head. “No offense, ‘Jaeger-Bomb’, but you’re not my type,” I retorted sarcastically. I could hear Jaeger laughing to himself from his seat. I scoffed, rolling my eyes. What a fucking moron. I shot a quick glance to the front of the room to make sure I hadn’t missed anything too important. Dr. Smith was still droning on and on like nothing in the world could distract him. But next to him Levi was staring daggers straight at the two of us like he knew not just that we were talking but what we were talking about. My heart nearly froze in my chest and I felt the color drain from my face. Quickly I ducked my head and tried to look like I was busy taking notes. “Jesus fucking Christ,” I muttered, sucking in a long, steading breath, and if it shook slightly no one could blame me.

Beside me Jaeger rolled his eyes at my sudden swear, saying, “Damn, dude. I was kidding. You don’t have to act so repulsed.” But then he turned to look at me and saw where my eyes had just been glued. He followed my gaze slowly, like he had already figured out what awaited him and was terrified. He froze once his eyes landed on the two venomous orbs staring back at him. He sat there awkwardly, seeming to be unable to break the gaze his was locked in. I heard him gasp as he finally managed to look away, whipping his head around to me so fast that I could hear his neck pop. “Fuck, Blondie. I’m not risking getting my ass kicked for you so I’m gonna stop talking now,” he whispered, panicked.

“Fine with me!” I whispered back in vehement agreement. That sounded like a good plan to me. Bothering Jaeger didn’t matter to me nearly enough. Like hell I wanted to bring down the wrath of Levi on my own head. I had never really fully understood the phrase “having the fear of God put in you” until I had laid eyes on Levi. Without saying a single word the entire class he had made me fear for my life.

Luckily we didn’t have to sit quietly long. Dr. Smith wrapped up the rest of the syllabus pretty quickly. And then in a show of mercy, decided to let the class out a few minutes early, “Since I kept you waiting at the beginning,” he explained. Yep, he’s definitely my favorite professor. He closed out of the computer program and told us to have a good weekend, but warned to come in next week ready to work.

I put my notebook away in record time; never had I been more ready for a class to end in my life. As I stood to leave I already had my phone in my hand. Fuck it, I was texting Marco. I had reached my breaking point. I figured, after putting up with Jaeger all day I deserved it. Speaking of Jaeger… I stopped when I reached the door and turned to look at him over my shoulder. “See you next week, lover boy,” I quipped, stepping through the door and letting it fall shut behind me. A smug smirk spread across my cheeks and I began to make my way back towards my dorm. I kinda felt like I had won the battle. After all, I had gotten the last word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the cheesy title. It was a play on words from the lyrics in the notes. "They'll call me the contender, They'll listen for the bell." You know, since Jean and Eren are about to throw down, and because they are both waiting until class is finally over.


	4. The Strawberry of Subject Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jean works out some frustration, friendships are strengthened, strawberries are discussed, and plans are made for what will surely be another memorable night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so honored that people have taken the time to read this. I'm continually floored by the bookmarks, subscriptions, and kudos. Each new one makes me do a happy dance.
> 
> If you like the CYM!Verse, please read part 2, The Boy With the Eager Eyes written by farmersmumz. It's Marco's view on this series of events and I am quite proud of my dear friend for her writing skills. None of any of this series would have been possible without her.

My fingers began sliding across the screen of my iPhone, composing a message to Marco as soon as I crossed the threshold of the building. It was pretty generic, as far as texts went. Just a “Hey, how’s it going?” Nothing that screamed ‘I have been dying to text you since you walked into your dorm last night’, even if that was technically true.

I slid my phone into the pocket of my jeans and headed back towards my dorm, trying to focus on slowing my breathing and counting to ten. All that stupid shit that is supposed to help you manage anger. It wasn’t really working. But within a minute I heard my text notification go off and my mood instantly brightened, even if only a little. I was in such a hurry to get to my phone out of my pocket that I nearly tripped. Which would have been embarrassing as fuck. But a quick glance around showed me that no one had noticed, or at least if they did nobody cared.

I slid my finger over the screen, unlocking it, and I couldn’t help the smirk that slid into place at seeing I had a text from ‘St. Marco Bodt’. It was stupid to get this excited, I knew it was, but it had been a really long time since I’d had a decent friend, alright? I couldn’t be held responsible. 

I read the text and stopped walking, an eyebrow quirking in confusion. “What the hell?” I muttered, giving my phone a strange look.

It said, “Hey, glad to hear you made it through your first week ;)” I stared at the emoticon for a second longer before a new text appeared just under the last. “I DIDN’T MEAN FOR THAT TO BE A WINKING FACE I’M SORRY”

I shook my head, a chuckle bubbling in my throat. Leave it to the freckled boy wonder to embarrass himself over text. I quickly typed out a reply. “Yeah, just barely,” I started, biting my lip in thought for a moment before deciding ‘fuck it’ and finishing out the text. “Would you want to meet up for dinner in the dining hall? I could use a distraction.” I hit send before I had time to change my mind.

I didn’t bother putting my phone back in my pocket this time, and it was probably a good thing because it didn’t take Marco long to reply. "I would love to! I'm cleaning up the dorm at the moment but I'll be finished in a little while. Did something go wrong today?" I marveled a bit as I read it. Marco had texted back so quickly. I wasn’t in his way, he didn’t already have plans. He didn’t even need time to think before he was agreeing to hang out again. I actually had an honest to God friend, one who actually enjoyed spending time with me apparently. I was gonna protect that with my life.

I focused on my reply as I neared my dorm, kind of amazing myself that I knew my way around campus on autopilot already. “There’s just some idiots in my class. Nothing I can’t handle. I need to stop by my room and drop some stuff off anyway. Want to just swing by when you’re done and walk over together?” I typed, hoping to set Marco’s mind to ease a bit. Not that I was just….assuming he would worry about me or anything. Not that I’m even worth worrying about. But he seemed like the type to fret over little things like that. 

I had just walked into my room when my phone went off again. I unlocked my screen as I plopped down on Connie’s weird ass couch, and just took a moment to shake my head and smirk at that damn picture Marco had made us take before reading the message. “That sounds like a good idea to me. Thanks for inviting me. You’re a good friend, Ponyboy.” The smile that was forming on my face slipped away with a sigh. I began to feel a headache come on and clenched my jaw against it. 

I loved that Marco thought I was a good friend. I really did. He was my best friend, and okay, yea…Maybe that’s stupid after only a day but let’s be real, it’s not like the bar was set real high with my past friends. And regardless, Marco was a great friend. I was lucky to have him. I even loved that said new best friend had his own personal nickname for me, but at the moment it only served to remind me of that fucking asshole who sat next to me in class. Talking to Marco had begun to calm me down, but now that fire was back at full force. 

I sent back a quick reply that read, “Great. I’m home now, stop by whenever,” and turned on my xbox. I popped in Call of Duty and fell back into the couch as the title screen loaded. I had time to kill before Marco got here anyway, and nothing helped blow of steam like some nice virtual violence. 

I…uh… May have a tendency to take things a little too seriously. I can be a bit of a competitive person. I’m not proud to admit it, but what can you do? It’s just a thing. So by the time Marco arrived to my room I was already pretty engrossed in stomping the shit out of my pixelated opponents. I was in the middle of a match when I heard a knock at the door. Considering the fact that I was was kinda busy and that I only knew one person who would even bother knocking, I just yelled a quick “Come in!”

In my periphery I noted the door open and Marco shyly peak through the crack. I’m sure I must have been an interesting sight. I was in my “serious gamer” stance, hunched over, staring at the screen intently, my hand gripping the control like a claw, a snarl on my face. I figured the whole point of playing the damn game was to get out the aggression, so if I didn’t give it my all what was the point? 

“Oh come on, that is bullshit! I fucking shot you!” I shouted at the screen as Marco hesitantly made his way into the room. “There’s no way that hit didn’t take you down!” Someone spawned behind me and used the advantage to shoot me. I groaned and my eyes flicked quickly to Marco while my character respawned. “Hey, sorry. This game’s almost over. Then I’ll be ready to go,” I told him with a quick wave.

I turned my attention back to the game, but from the corner of my eye I could see the corners of Marco’s mouth lift. He walked over to stand next to the couch, watching me play the rest of my match. Hey, new buddy watching your gaming skills, Jean. No pressure or anything.

Finally the match came to an end and the word “Victory!” flashed across the screen. I let out a breath that I hadn’t really realized I had been holding, pleased with my performance. I chose that high note to turn the game off and put the controller away in the secret compartment of the coffee table where it would be safe from Connie and Sasha. I popped up off the couch and flashed Marco a smug grin at my triumph. And… yeah, okay…. I realize that my competitors were probably a bunch of 14 year olds who also just got out of school. Whatever. I still won. I felt a little better and now Marco was here and the promise of food hung in the air. Things were starting to look up. Fucking finally. 

Marco laughed lightly and patted my back. “Way to go, Jean,” he said, a smile spread wide across his face.

I blushed a bit, rubbing awkwardly at the back of my neck. “Sorry ‘bout that. Couldn’t just leave in the middle of a round,” I mumbled, but Marco didn’t seem to think that was a stupid excuse. That or he didn’t say anything about it. I cleared my throat slightly and asked, “So, you ready to go?”

As if on cue, Marco’s stomach growled. His cheeks flushed lightly and he nodded in agreement. I smiled, nodding back to Marco. We left the room and I paused long enough to lock the door. I hoped that Connie had bothered remembering his key. I didn’t want to have to leave in the middle of dinner to let him in, but at the same time I wasn’t gonna just leave it unlocked and risk having my TV or my games get stolen. That taken care of, I turned my attention back to Marco as we started down the hall. But something was off. Marco seemed kinda anxious, his eyes darting up and down the hallway. “Hey, everything okay?”

Marco whipped his head around, and smiled so wide it had to be fake. He put his hands up in front of him defensively and started waving them around frantically. “What? Of course, everything is fine! Ahahah!” Yeah, clearly. I raised an eyebrow, not even bothering to open my mouth to call him on his bullshit. He sighed in defeat, reaching up to rub at his neck awkwardly. “Well, earlier I ran into someone again, and there was this girl and she called me cute and…,” Marco paused, his hand sliding from his neck to cover his face. “It was just surprising and I was making sure she wasn’t in this hall again.”

I had never met anyone who was so talented at getting flustered. I mean, yeah it was….endearing I guess, but I mean, the poor guy. It had to be exhausting. “Aside from your obvious problem with running into people, because, I mean really, I think you may need to seek help, I don’t see what the problem is,” I said with a shrug, stuffing my hands into the pockets of my skinny jeans. “I mean, most guys… a girl calls them cute and they see it as a victory, maybe even try to get her number. So explain to me why you’re trying to hide from her? She’s not gonna eat you, y’know.”

Marco shifted uncomfortably and his eyes shot to the ground. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, but his stance was still too stiff to seem comfortable. “Well, I’m not built that way I guess,” he said with a shrug. He looked back at me, pointing to himself. “Jean, I’m not cute. I’m just Marco. I’m tall and kind of a klutz.” I thought back to how many times since I met him, you know, the day before, that Marco had unwittingly reminded me of an awkward puppy. I figured there was a pretty good chance that he was wrong, that maybe ‘Marco’ and ‘cute’ were the same thing. Not that I thought he was cute. Just that he acted cute. Objectively. Yes. That. “Plus she was intimidating but I don’t know why,” he continued, pulling me back to reality. “If I see her again what am I supposed to do? She’s not exactly…my type.”

His face was so red. I needed to say something. Uhh….fuck. This is why no one should put me in charge of things. “Yeah…Girls can be intimidating. Any guy who’s ever tried to talk to a crush knows that,” I started, hoping to maybe make him feel a bit better. I mean, it’s not like he was alone. We’d all been there. “But hey, if she’s not your type then she’s not your type.” I shrugged. It’d be a lie to say I wasn’t curious what his type was now. But that wasn’t the issue here. Focus, Jean. “I guess you could try just…talking to her? In a very non-flirty way, maybe even flat out say you’re not interested. Or you could make an excuse that you need to be somewhere. If I’m around I could distract her or something. We could say that… I don’t know… You had to help me with homework or that I had gotten in a fight with my girlfriend and you were trying to cheer me up. Whatever it takes. We’ll improvise if we see her.” I hope I at least sounded like I knew what I was talking about. He didn’t need to know I had had a grand total of one girlfriend, and even that went so well. Not right now anyway.

Marco just….stopped. Right there in the middle of the hallway. Just stopped and stood there looking at me. I fidgeted for a moment but then a huge smile spread across his face and his eyes lit up. “You’d do that for me? Wow, Jean!” I breathed a sigh of relief. “You’re probably the greatest person I’ve ever met! No, more like the best friend I’ve ever had! Thank you so much for watching my back. It’s nice knowing I have someone who can look out for me like that.” He placed a hand on my shoulder, gripping it firmly before patting my back a few times and replacing his hand to his pocket.

I just kinda stood there. He was doing the thing again. The one where he was really extremely open and sincere. Hell, the guy could probably make a nun feel like a horrible human being. Real life freckled Jesus over here. I had gotten no closer to knowing how to handle it. I wondered if I’d ever figure it out. I was just so used to people being manipulative assholes or using others to get what they wanted. Everyone always had their own motives. And then there was Marco. Fucking innocent Marco with his heart on his sleeve. I hoped nothing ever happened to change that.

But at the moment he was waiting for me to reply and I had to figure something out. I cleared my throat somewhat awkwardly, shrugging as we finally made it out the dorm and started towards the quad. “It’s no big deal. That’s what friends do, right?” I said. But honestly? I was just trying to keep my own emotions in check at this point. While I had no illusions about being the greatest person Marco had ever met, I couldn’t get over the fact that he had just said I was the best friend he’d ever had. That… was kind of the best thing ever. Marco was already my best friend, and apparently I was his. And that made me feel so much better about whatever this year planned to throw at me. I just needed to keep my cool now. 

“So, earlier you said a classmate was causing you some kind of trouble? It wasn’t anything too bad, right?” Marco asked. I was glad he was changing the topic, ‘cause really, this was getting hella awkward. But that didn’t mean the new topic was something I really wanted to talk about either.

I sighed. At least we were getting close to the dining hall now, so hopefully if I could just get this out of the way I could just get some food and hang out with Marco and not worry about it anymore. “It really wasn’t a big deal. Just this guy in my Polisci class was an asshole,” I grumbled with a shrug of my shoulder. “I was sitting near him so he tried to strike up a conversation. And I can’t really tell you what happened but it just went down hill from there.” I could feel that heat in my chest start to rise again, twisting into a bitter fire. “He was such a fucking prick. You could tell that he didn’t want to be there and that he didn’t take any of this shit seriously. And we got in this stupid fucking argument, because trust me, he had taken it upon himself to make all sorts of assumptions about me.” Okay, so… I may have made some assumptions and said some things too, but that wasn’t the point here. “And let me tell you, this guy has no filter. He just spews whatever the fuck pops into his mind no matter how insulting he thinks it might be.” I stopped ranting long enough to pull open the door to the dining hall and follow Marco inside. “Don’t worry. I didn’t punch the kid. I take class to seriously for that. But you can bet next time I have that class that I’m gonna avoid him like the plague.”

We walked up to the register and I swiped my meal plan card while Marco dug some cash out of his pocket. “If you don’t mind me asking, what exactly did he say to you?” he asked as he handed the attendant his money, a frown on his face. 

It’s not that I didn’t want to tell Marco or that I had some problem going back over the events of the day. I’m not that pathetic. But this shit was stressing me out and I was way more interested in the smell of food wafting our way. “You know what? I’ll tell you the details once we get sat down. All I wanna focus on right now is food.” I grabbed a tray and turned towards the room as a whole, taking in the different lines. My eyes drifted until- Bingo. “Dude, I don’t know about you, but I’m getting pizza.” My mouth was watering at the thought alone.

I made my way towards the pizza line like a man in the desert towards water. I had always had a weakness for good ole’, greasy, American pizza and it was exactly what I needed on a day like today. Marco followed behind me, grabbing pizza as well, but with the addition of a few extra carrots and strawberries on the side. Didn’t really surprise me really, he seemed like the kind to be into rabbit food.

We found a place to sit amidst the crowd of students and got settled in. I picked up a piece of pizza, determined to get some food in system before I was expected to recount the gorier details of my day for Marco. My eyes flicked up to him just in time to watch as he bit into a strawberry. His lips plumped out around the fruit as he drew it into his mouth, chiming lightly at the flavor. It was way more distracting than it probably should have been and I had to tear my eyes away to focus back on my pizza. I took a bite, letting out a noise of my own as I chewed. 

I was completely ravenous by this point. I had slept in later than I meant to and hadn’t been able to eat anything before class. Which…okay, might do something to explain why I had been so grumpy throughout Polisci. I never handled empty stomachs well. So the second the pizza hit my tongue all previous thoughts about Jaeger, Marco, and strawberries flew out the window. The only thing I was focused on was getting my pizza from my plate to my stomach. Bonus points if I managed to taste it along the way. I didn’t realize just how violently I was tearing into my pizza until Marco giggled like the adorable little shit he was, pulling me back to reality. “Here, you might need this,” he sad through his giggles, holding a napkin out to me.

I took it from him sheepishly, a flush working its way up the back of my neck. “Oh… oops…” I muttered, wiping at my face. I figured maybe that was a sign I should slow down. I guess this was as good as a time to tell him about Polisci as any. “Okay… So… about the jackass. I, um, don’t remember everything exactly? I was pretty mad. Everything just kind of blurred together. But the thing I do remember was him saying something about how if I became a l became a lawyer like I’m planing, that I wouldn’t help anyone or do anything but sit around bullshitting and taking bribes. That I wouldn’t be able to make a difference.” I had to take a break before I started seething again. Sure I wanted a comfortable life. Who didn’t? At least I could be honest about it. But the fact that he used that to attack my honor was still pissing me off, even after all the time I’d had to cool down. “There was a bunch of other shit too but I was too busy coming up with comebacks to really remember,” I mumbled in conclusion, taking another too forceful bite of my pizza, tearing it off with my teeth in irritation.

Marco sighed, popping another strawberry in his mouth while he thought. He seemed to consider what he wanted to say while he chewed. “Well,” he started after swallowing the fruit, “I don’t think that what that guy said was right at all. But I also don’t think you should let it get to you, Jean.” I quirked a brow, wondering where he was going with this. Marco took a sip from his drink and continued. “People like that aren’t anything you should worry about. Sure they might say some things that will bug you but that never means they’re right. I think that when we speak sometimes we forget how powerful words are. But his negative words are nowhere near as strong as positive ones. So, Jean, I think you’ll be an incredible lawyer. You always speak whats on your mind and your honesty is one of your best features. You fight for what you believe in and don’t let others get away from saying the wrong things. Even though that guy has no faith in you just remember I have all the faith in the world, Ponyboy,” he finished, flashing me another of those smiles that could never be faked or replicated.

I froze, letting Marco’s words wash over me, my hands slowly falling lower and lower as his speech went on, until eventually my pizza was back on my plate. The more he said, the tighter my chest got and the harder it became to breathe. Was this real life? I was beginning to kind of worry that I had imagined Marco and just hadn’t come to terms with the fact that I was having a mental breakdown yet. Because even in my daydreams of how awesome college was going to be and all the friends I would have, I never could have imagined someone like Marco. Someone so perfect, who said such amazing things with such conviction. Was he really able to pick up that much about me since yesterday? You know, it didn’t even matter, because even if he was wrong, for the first time I had someone who believed in me all on their own. No prior obligation of family or having grown up together. He even topped of his little speech with his nickname for me, like a fucking cherry on top. I had to swallow past a lump in my throat just to speak. “You know what…” I said, more thinking out loud than anything. I was too busy sifting through the sudden wave of emotions threatening to drown me to really pay much attention to what I was saying. “You’re right. There’s only ever been a handful of people whose opinions mattered to me anyway, and now you’re one of them. So thanks…”

Marco smiled back at me, all genuine sunshine like he hadn’t just rocked the very ground I stood on. He grabbed a strawberry, placing it on my plate. “It’s no problem. Taste this strawberry! It’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted in my life, it’s amazing!” I looked down at the strawberry, my chest still feeling uncomfortably tight. How could he just say all of that and then suddenly jump to strawberries like it was natural conversation progression? Like what he said was so simple and such common knowledge that it was completely irrefutable. I guess I hesitated a little too long because Marco was looking me over, concern spread thick on his face. “Uh, Jean? Are you okay?” I wondered what I looked like at that moment. It must have been pretty bad. “Is something wrong? Do I need to get you something?” Marco was on his feet now, ready to spring into action if the situation called for it.

I swallowed hard again, pulling myself back to reality. Couldn’t go freaking out the people who actually agreed to be friends with you, know could we? I rolled my eyes dramatically. “No. God, I’m fine. Sit down, would you? Dweeb.” I shook my head, laughing weakly and waving Marco back down to his seat. I picked up the strawberry and examined it, spinning it between my fingers, not quite able to meet Marco’s eye as I spoke. “I’ve just never had someone say something that nice to me before,” I said with a simple shrug of my shoulder, trying to play it off, but I could feel the blush rising on my face. I distracted myself by popping the strawberry into my mouth, biting into the flesh. “You’re right,” I said around the fruit, eager for a chance to change the subject, “This is amazing.”

I absently noticed Marco pull out a few tums and pop them in his mouth with a groan. I guess the pizza got to him? He didn’t seem to let it bother him long though, wasting no time in picking up the conversation (about fucking strawberries of all things) right where it had left off. “I told you it was amazing. I wonder if they buy from a local grocer or something else.” He paused for a moment as if thinking before asking, “Hey, Jean? Are there any farmer’s markets around here?”

I finished off the strawberry, washing it down with a drink from my soda. Trost was pretty large and decidedly urban, as far as cities go. It wasn’t quite the booming metropolis that Boston was, but it was definitely nothing to sneeze at. Even still, we had our fair share of farmers that lived just outside of the city that would bring in their goods to sell. “Yeah. The first weekend of every month they set up stands in the plaza downtown and sell their produce. It’s actually pretty cool. There will be some local craftsmen and artists selling things they made too, and sometimes they will have contests and stuff.” I paused, smiling as memories from an Autumn two years before came rushing back. “I haven’t been in a while, but me and Olette used to go sometimes.” She had always looked forward to going so much. 

I realized I’d been dazing off into space again when I heard Marco’s voice. “If you don’t mind me asking, was Olette an old friend?” he asked somewhat hesitantly. Like he didn’t want to pry but was too interested to not know. 

My eyes grew wide for a minute, surprised by my own mistake, but the next moment I stated laughing. “Oh shit… Sorry, I could have probably explained that better.” I paused to takes a breath, letting my laughter die down. “Olette’s my sister,” I explained with a smile. “It’s probably been a year or two since we’ve went together though. I got busy focusing on finishing up high school, applying for colleges, taking entrance exams. And she had stuff too. But it was always fun. We looked forward to it, I guess.” I didn’t know why I was telling him so much about Ollie. Usually I felt really protective over her, not wanting to talk about her to anyone. She was special to me in a way no one else had ever been and I didn’t want to share that with anyone. But something was different about Marco. 

“Hey Jean. How about this? I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t like this idea, so don’t feel pressured about it. But I’ll probably end up making trips to the farmer’s market for some fresh ingredients. And maybe one day you can join me and I’ll make us a nice breakfast afterward with the things I bought. I wouldn’t mind your company, actually I’d enjoy it.” Marco suggested all of this while never once looking up from his fork.

I didn’t understand why Marco still seemed so nervous when suggesting things to me. What, did he think I would attack him and tell him it was a horrible idea? Honestly I was pretty excited for any excuse to spend time with the guy so the chances of me saying no were pretty slim. I guess I could have a bit of a temper. Maybe. But I could never imagine that happening with Marco.

“Okay, look. I’m only gonna say this once, okay freckles?” I asked, leaning forward into Marco’s personal space to demand his attention. “Relax. You can say anything you want around me, got it? So don’t worry so much.” My point made, I leaned back in my seat, crossing my arms and flashing Marco a grin. “And that actually sounds pretty cool. We should totally do it.”

Marco seemed absolutely elated at my answer. I really don’t think this guy was capable of playing it close to the vest. His emotions always seemed right out there in the open. He smiled at me and let out a relieved sigh. “Well, I’m glad you said yes. I’m actually really looking forward to cooking something for you. My roommates aren’t always around so there’s no one for me to make some food for. I love cooking but it’s not as rewarding unless someone’s enjoying it as well,” he said, still looking over at me brightly as he started to pick up his trash and get ready to leave.

I worked on finishing my last slice of pizza while he explained his love of cooking. I swallowed my mouthful and turned my attention back to the conversation at hand. “Well any time you need to get it out of your system I’m down. I never say no to home cooked meals,” I teased with a smirk. “Besides, I can’t cook to save my life, so this really is the perfect set up.” I piled all my trash on my tray and stood up, figuring that we might as well get going if we were both done. 

Marco chewed his lip slightly as he followed me over to the tray return. “So you know how you said I could talk to you about anything?” he prompted and I nodded my head, my eyebrows furrowed in question. “Well, my roommate’s sister is having a party tonight and they invited me. I was wondering if maybe you’d like to go? I mean, I bet it’d be a good way to get that fight earlier off of your mind…”

I rolled my eyes and let out a huff. “Let’s see. Rereading syllabi or actually going to a party. What kind of question is that?” I couldn’t help but shake my head. “Of course I wanna go! Are you kidding?” I asked in exasperation. Marco seemed pleased with my response. Finally, this is more like what I had in mind when I pictured college. Having a best friend, going to parties together, getting to know people. Maybe I’d have more friends before the night was over. I mean, I already knew I’d finally get to meet his roommates. Maybe my Friday could be saved after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND THE STAGE IS SET! Sorry this chapter was kind of just filler, but things can finally start getting interesting in this next chapter. Anybody remember who Marco said his roommates were? Bahahah! Any bets on how this is gonna go down? Any takers?
> 
> When we return with the next chapter of The Honest Man, the party!
> 
> My tumblr is chippita13.tumblr.com and I'm tracking the tag fic: CYM. Please feel free to leave comments here or to talk to me there. Feedback is always appreciated!


	5. Shot at the Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is a party, Jean learns the meaning of love at first sight, and Marco needs rescuing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once in a lifetime, we're breaking all the rules  
> To find that our home, has long been out grown  
> Draw me a life line, 'cause honey I got nothing to lose  
> Once in a lifetime 
> 
> Shot at the Night- The Killers
> 
> (Hasn't been beta read just yet. Any mistakes are my own and will be fixed in due time.)

It was decided that I would drive as I knew my way around Trost better than Marco did. I pressed the button that unlocked the doors and we both piled into my car. I had a nondescript 2013 Ford Fusion hybrid. I knew it was a good car, all in all. It was shiny and new, it had a lot of good features, and the dash touch screen was kind of of cool, but it was still far from my dream car. I’m sure it seemed like I was a spoiled rich kid who would never be satisfied, but it just didn’t feel like it was mine. I always felt more like I was borrowing my mom’s car or something. I doubt I’d ever feel comfortable in it. I’d rather have something older with a character that actually suited me any day. Something that didn’t feel like my parents were trying to buy me off.

I pushed the button that was the ignition and pulled up the GPS as Marco strapped himself in. “Hey, let me see that address again,” I said, pulling Marco’s attention away from where he’d been inspecting the interior. He stuck out his hand where he’d jotted down the address and I took it in mine, bringing it closer so I could see the writing in the dim light coming from the dash. I didn’t miss Marco’s Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed, but chose to ignore it and focused instead on entering the address.

I let go of his hand to plug in my iPhone and pulled up my playlist, letting music fill the space. Maybe it’d be able to drown out the overbearing atmosphere of the car itself. I mean, fuck, it even smelled stiff and uptight. I hadn’t realized that was even a scent but it was the only way to describe what I was currently smelling.

Although I never took my eyes off the road, I turned my attention back to Marco as I pulled out onto the highway that lead to some of the more suburban areas of the city. “So, I’ll be honest,” I started, “I’ve never been much of a partier. I went to a couple in high school, but only ‘cause I was drug there.” I don’t even know why I felt the need to tell him that. Maybe just to get that easy conversation I was rapidly becoming accustomed to flowing again, it’s hard to say. But before I had really planned out what I wanted to say I found myself adding, “But this time I actually have someone I know I’m gonna have a good time with so it’s different, I guess.” I hoped my voice had managed to come out nonchalant and was suddenly grateful for the darkness surrounding the two of us.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a familiar, warm smile break out across Marco’s face. “I’m really glad you decided to come with me, Jean. To be honest I was scared of the idea that I’d get left alone, but since you came with me I don’t have to be afraid anymore,” he said happily, leaning to look up at the stars from his window. “So, thank you very much for that. It was a really cool thing of you to do for me.”

Was this guy serious? He was the one that swooped in and saved me from another night of boredom, yet here he was thanking me like I was doing him some huge favor. “Really, it’s not like I’m going way out of my way here. You make it sound like I’m some great guy.” I shook my head at the thought. If anything it was the other way around. I ended up starting fights with strangers in the middle of the hallway while Marco offered to do his roommates’ laundry (he can say otherwise, but I know not all of that pile belonged to him. There’s no freaking way) and brought them back apple pies when he went out. How the fuck I’d ended up with a friend like him was beyond me. I sure as hell didn’t deserve it, and honestly, part of me was worried about him realizing that. “You know, you’re doing just as much for me here,” I argued. “I hardly know anyone here. I needed to find a way to get out and meet people. Maybe this is it.”

I turned off of the highway and started making my way through the residential area where most of the college students that lived off campus wound up. “I actually think you’re a pretty great guy. I’m just really glad that I met someone like you so early on in the year,” Marco mused, eyes never leaving the night sky he seemed so entranced by as he spoke. “You know, thinking about it, I’m really glad I got accepted to this school. I can’t imagine what it would be like if I was anywhere else without knowing you existed, Jean. I think I’d feel a bit empty.”

In all my life I had never been left actually, legitimately speechless. I always had a smart ass comment for everything. Hell, I kind of even prided myself on it. And then comes along fucking St. Marco and suddenly all of that falls to shit. My breath hitched in my chest, making me feel like my heart was being squeezed. My eyes drifted over to where Marco was still gazing dreamily out the window. It was in that moment I realized my mouth had fallen open and that I was gaping at him like an idiot while my brain floundered around trying to register what he’d said. Hell, forget about trying to formulate a response. I felt a flush creep up my neck and snapped my eyes back to the road. _“He keeps doing that. How does he keep doing that?!”_ I thought as I tried to get my bearings.

I cleared my throat to answer, but it didn’t do much to help. My voice still sounded a little too tight in my ears. “I’m… uh… Really glad you’re here, too, man,” is what I settled for. That was cool right? Adding man to the end? But I felt like Marco deserved more so I kept going. “There’d definitely be a lot less to look forward to if you weren’t here.” I tried to imagine getting through the day after a class like the one I’d had today with no Marco to take the edge off. The thought didn’t sit right with me. It left a strange void that I didn’t want to think about. Hell, I didn’t even know if I’d still want to be at this school anymore if Marco wasn’t here. God, how had he managed to make such a strong impact on me this quickly? It left me a little uneasy so I turned my attention back to the road. Just in time too. As we came up on the next block there were cars lining both sides of the street. It was easy to tell where the party was by the people milling around in the yard of a small rent house. “Oh look at that, we’re here,” I announced, parallel parking along the curb and shutting the car off.

We stepped out and I followed Marco up the steps and through the entrance, trying not to be overwhelmed by the sea of unfamiliar faces. We’d just barely gotten through the front door when a voice rang out above the bass pumping out of the speakers and the din of the guests. “EYYY, MARCO!”

A grin spread across Marco’s face as he called back, “Hey Eren!” I recalled Marco mentioning his roommates and remembered that being one of the names. So I’d finally be meeting the roommate, huh? A pair of vibrant green eyes and a head of messing brown hair made their way through the crowd and stopped in front of us, and I stopped in my tracks.

“Oh, you have got to be shitting me,” I grumbled, my eyes clenching shut. That dumbass from class was Marco’s roommate? Marco’s head swiveled, turning to look at me in confusion. Our eyes met briefly, but a cynical chuckle soon drew our attention away.

“Well, well, well, well, welllll. If it isn’t Blondie himself? Man, Marco, I expected better from you,” ‘Eren’, as I was finding out was actually his name, taunted with a slight shake of his head. He took a long gulp from a red cup before smiling devilishly back at us. “So,” he started, pointing between us with the index finger that extended from the rim of his cup, “What’s going on here?”  I wasn’t sure I liked the implications he was making.

Marco glanced innocently up at Eren, his head tilting slightly to the left. “Well, Jean’s my plus one. I’m a bit confused, can someone fill me in on what’s going on right now? I feel like there’s something I should know,” he asked, gaze passing between the two of us.

Eren, for his part, just smirked and looked down into his cup as if he was looking for a dropped key in the bottom of a river. “Well, I think it’s best if Blondie told you.”

I rolled my eyes. “Please, do you really have to be that dramatic?” I scoffed, crossing my arms over my chest. Was this little shit always like this? I’d ask how Marco could stand it, but this was Marco we were talking about. He would be hard pressed to find an unkind word to say about absolutely anyone. “‘Eren’ here is in my Political Science class,” I explained through clenched teeth, my eyes never straying from the green eyed menace. “We… met today.” I hoped that Marco was quick enough to put the pieces together.

Understanding quickly washed over Marco’s face and he looked over at Eren with sad eyes. The face that was so smug moments before was instantly wiped clean. Eren, looking like a reprimanded child, swished his cup around a few times, sighing as it sloshed. “Alright, Marco. Since it’s your first party at Rose I’ll try to be nice, but only because that face could convince Attila to cut that shit out, Okay?” he bargained. Marco smiled up at him gratefully. I, however, wasn’t totally convinced. As if to seal the deal, Eren sat his drink down on a nearby coffee table and held out his arms, beckoning to Marco and inviting him into an apologetic hug. Marco complied and thanked him, and Eren replied with a simple, “Yeah, yeah.”

I shifted my weight to one hip, my arms still tightly crossed over my chest. I didn’t mean to, honestly, but I couldn’t stop the glare as Eren pulled Marco into his arms. I mean, I knew that Marco had other friends. I wasn’t jealous. Not at all. It was just that this guy was an asshole and Marco was just too innocent and kind hearted to notice. But then Eren’s face shifted, eyes rising up to meet mine. A challenging grin spread over his face. That cocky motherfucker! It was like he knew that hugging Marco would piss me off and was daring me to do something about it. I cocked an eyebrow, resisting the urge to snarl until Marco finally, at long last, stepped out of Eren’s embrace.

“Well, this has been fun. We’ll just be way the fuck over there if you need us,” I shot off, steering Marco away by the shoulder. Marco waved back to Eren, who snickered, as he let me lead him across the room.

I leaned in closer to Marco to be heard over the music, my lips just inches from his ear. "So... Sorry I managed to piss off your roommate before I had even officially met him," I apologized with a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of my neck.

It was too dark to tell if Marco was blushing or not, but I felt heat radiating off of his face. If he was, though, he played it off well enough, saying, "Uh, don't worry about it. It wasn't necessarily guaranteed that you two would get along anyway. Actually, it's difficult for Eren to make friends. He's only got a few of them. His personality tends to clash with others, but he's really not a bad person. At least, I don't believe he is. I think he has a fire in him that isn't easily found in people. He just gets a little too energetic over things."

What Marco said about Eren struck a bit of a chord with me. I had always been much of the same way, having trouble making friends due to my bluntness and short fuse. But just because I empathized with Eren didn't mean I had to like him. Honestly, if anything it explained why we butted heads so hard. Too much alike, though I'd never admit that out loud.

I sighed, shaking my head, "Yeah, well... he's still an asshole." Even still, I couldn't stop the hard expression on my face from softening into a smile. "I swear, Marco... You could find a good thing to say about the devil himself."

I got lost for a moment in in my own little world, just thinking about Marco and the way everything had played out, but was pulled back to reality by a heavy hand landing square on my shoulder. I turned around to find a very bulky blond standing behind me with a wide smile stretched across his face. Hovering by his shoulder was another boy, taller and lankier, looking like he was the epitome of uncomfortable. "Hey Kirschtien, what are you doing here?" the blond asked.

I gave him a loose smile and a small shrug. "Nothing much, tagged along with my buddy Marco here," I answered, patting Marco on the back as I turned my attention back to him. "Speaking of roommates, these are my suite mates, Reiner and Bertholdt," I explained, gesturing to the others in turn.

This time I was sure Marco was blushing, but I couldn't exactly say I was surprised. After all, this wasn't his first run in with Reiner and Bertl, even if it was their first time being introduced. "Oh, uh, hello. My name is Marco Bodt, it's very nice to meet the both of you," He said as he timidly stuck out his hand.

Reiner took Marco's hand in his very large but surprisingly gentle grasp, shaking it with just a little more force than was probably strictly necessary, before pulling him into what I had long since dubbed a 'bro hug'. "Good to meet you, too. Any friend of our Jeany-boy's a friend of ours," he bellowed, a laugh edging into his voice at the somewhat shocked expression on Marco's face. "I'm Reiner, and this is my boyfriend Bertholdt," he elaborated. Bertl, for his part, held up a hand in something that approximated a wave and smiled softly, muttering a greeting.

I turned my attention back to Big and Bigger, raising an eyebrow as a thought occurred to me. "What are you guys doing here anyway?" I asked, and although the question was vague they seemed to get the picture. Bertl explained that Reiner and Eren shared a class and Eren had invited him. Unbelievable! Did everyone I know like that kid? Bertl continued, explaining that, while Reiner was always up for a party, he was on the fence about attending. However, apparently their best friend from high school was friends with the host and had drug them along.

That left me with another question, however. "Wait... Eren's not the host? Then who is?"

No sooner had the words left my mouth than up walks Eren, this time much more flushed and accompanied by two other people. One was a short boy with long blond hair and bright blue eyes that made him look younger than he probably was. But on his other side… I froze up and I swear I could feel my brain short circuit.

Eren smiled again as he stumbled over to Marco. He slammed his arm around his shoulder and pointed at the girl. "Eyyyy Marco Marco Marco! Half you met Mikasa yet? Cheese our lovely hose? Host, am I saying that right?" he asked with a giggle, apparently not that as worried about his vocabulary as he let on. The host, Mikasa apparently, was easily the most gorgeous woman I had ever seen. Her hair was so shiny, like fucking silk. And even in the dark lighting of the house I could tell that her skin was flawless, looking nearly like porcelain against the backdrop of the red scar tucked around her neck. She exuded strength and a certainty that I both admired and envied.  

I vaguely recalled Marco mention that his roommate’s sister was throwing a party. Did that mean Mikasa was related to Eren?! How the fuck did that happen? She was lovely and powerful, even just in presence, while Eren… well…. I was reminded of him drooling over our TA with a shiver.

I was a little relieved to be pulled back to the present, not wanting to get caught staring like a creep, but that feeling quickly faded. “Oh Eren, ha ha ha, always such a kidder,” Marco laughed nervously, staring at the blond boy who I assumed was his other roommate pleadingly. Eren was whispering in Marco’s ear and apparently attempting to lick his cheek while Marco tried to inch away. My face twisted up in a grimace. It took every ounce of self control I had to remind myself that Eren and I had called a truce, otherwise I have no doubt I would have punched him. Jesus, Marco looked so uncomfortable. Thank God the tiny blond kid pulled Eren back when he did.

Marco did his best to play it off, but there was something about his expression that was off. He looked almost…. sad. Maybe he was just embarrassed or grossed out, Hell knows I would have been if Eren’s tongue had been that close to my face. I moved forward to rest a hand on Marco’s shoulder, trying to catch his eye, “Hey, you okay?”

He jumped a bit and turned to look at me, a wide smile spreading over his face but never quite reaching his eyes. “Yeah! I’m okay, really! I just hope Eren doesn’t do anything stupid tonight. Chances are tomorrow me and Armin will be taking care of him.” He paused for a moment, chin in his hand as he thought. “Well, now that I think about it, Armin was planning on studying in the library tomorrow so it’ll just be me.”

I looked over to where Eren was trying to make Shorty dance with him. “Yeah… I think it’s probably already too late for that.” I hated the thought of Marco being stuck alone to take care of a hungover moron, even if it didn’t surprise me at all. I made it a personal goal to go over and visit Marco at some point tomorrow so he could have some form of human interaction. Because, honestly, I didn’t know what Eren was exactly, but human wasn’t my first guess.

I had just spotted Sasha sneaking away with a bag of chips out of the corner of my eye (seriously, did Eren know fucking everyone?!) when Eren managed to break away from Shorty, choosing instead to latch onto Marco’s hand like some sort of parasite.   "Macro, er Marco, you gotta come with me for a sec. I got a surprise for you. Joan stay here,” he slurred. Marco allowed himself to be lead away, shooting me an apologetic smile over his shoulder.

“Joan?! The fuck?!” I mouthed to myself, wondering what had just happened.

I watched Eren lead Marco up the stairs, which…. okay, didn’t exactly sit well with me. I figured it was normal to be protective over your best friend, right? Especially when you hadn’t really had one before. But still it left a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I decided to wait outside. It beat standing in a room of strangers awkwardly, and besides, maybe the fresh air would do me some good. I walked out onto the porch and leaned against the railing with a sigh.

“You look like shit,” came a voice from somewhere behind me. I jumped, ever so slightly (in a very manly way I assure you) and turned around to find a tall girl with dark hair and freckles leaning against the side of the house. I wanted to snap back with something witty, but no… she was probably right. With the way tonight was going I did probably look like shit. I kinda felt like it after all.

She pulled out a pack of cigarettes, pulling one in between her lips before holding the pack out to me. I declined, saying that I didn’t smoke. She shrugged and muttered, “Suit yourself,” as she lit her cigarette, letting out a long plume of smoke.

In my pocket my phone chimed. I pulled it out to see a text from Marco.

_[From: St. Marco Bodt_

_Hey I don’t know what Eren’s planning but I’ll keep you updated so you know I’m okay.]_

Well that wasn’t exactly what I’d call reassuring. I frowned and turned my attention back to the girl. “Actually, I changed my mind,” I declared. I needed something to pass the time, and this was supposed to take the edge off, right? What would one hurt? She smirked and held out her pack once more. This time I took one out and she handed me the lighter. I lit the tip, hesitantly taking in an experimental drag. Not ready! I’m not sure what I was expecting but I was not prepared! Instantly I was doubled over, coughing and sputtering out every ounce of air in my lungs.

The girl chuckled from where she watched, still slouched against the wall apathetically. “You weren’t kidding were you? You really don’t smoke,” I wanted to ask what her first clue was. She took another long drag, letting it out slowly as she spoke, “So… What’s your name, Blondie?” Why did people keep calling me that? I introduced myself without any sort of fanfare, just stating my name as I moved to lean against the house next to her. She nodded and answered in kind. “Ymir,” she said flatly.

I tried for another drag. It still burned my throat but I didn’t cough this time. That felt like progress at least. Her name seemed familiar. I knew I’d heard it but I couldn’t place it. Ymir, Ymir….Ymir- Oh! “You wouldn’t happen to be Sasha’s roommate would you?” I asked.

Ymir sighed. “Unfortunately,” She grumbled flicking ash off of her cigarette. “So, you know Sasha, huh?” she asked, still looking bored the whole while.

I nodded. “Yeah, I’m Connie’s roommate,” I explained. I could see the pieces falling into place in Ymir’s mind. Clearly she’d met Connie, judging by her expression. Which really wasn’t surprising. Those two were glued at the hip and they didn’t spend all their time in our dorm.

“God, I am so sorry,” was her answer. I just shrugged, not sure of what to say. I mean yea they were a little… rambunctious, sure, but they weren’t _that_ bad. A silence fell between us for a moment, and it was actually a lot more comfortable than I was expecting. Before I knew it half of the cigarette was gone and I was starting to feel a little dizzy. But like… in a nice way. Maybe it wasn’t so bad

My phone chimed again. I put out the rest of the cigarette as I pulled it out. Again the message was from Marco, this time simply asking me to call him. That didn’t sound good. As soon as the line clicked over I was asking, “Hey, what’s going on? Are you okay?”

_"Uh, hello! Yes, sure, are you sure you want to go home? I mean it's alright with me if you want to, I understand that today was hard."_ The actual fuck? I was about to ask Marco what he was talking about when suddenly there was a rustling as the phone was stolen and another voice came on the line.

_“Hey… Joan Pony Boy Kirschtien,”_ there was a pause during which I was sure he had pulled the phone away to read my contact name, which he still managed to butcher, _“Marco's actually a boat to get his groove on with me, so…. yeah, maybe you can find a ride home. We're a little busy right now, 'kay thanks byeeeeeeee."_

My brows furrowed as I tried to decipher what was going on. “Marco?” No use, the line was already dead. “Shit…” I sighed in frustration, staring down at my phone. It was an actual fight to not crush my hand around it. Marco had sounded so panicky. I needed to do something.

Ymir, who had taken up the hobby of watching across the yard where a small blonde girl was talking with a few other party-goers, turned her attention momentarily back to me.  “What was that all about?” she asked as I stuffed my phone back into my pocket.

I huffed out an angry breath. “I have to go rescue someone from a moron. And try to not murder said moron in the process,” I answered, looking back at her one last time as I pushed away from the wall. “Thanks for the cigarette. I’ll see you around.” And with that I was off and back to navigating the sea of bodies waiting on the other side of the front door.

I marched my way straight up the stairs, Marco’s last known location, and started testing random doors as I made my way down the second floor hall. One empty bathroom, a half clothed couple, and a coat closet later, I managed to find the right room. “Somebody Told Me” by The Killers assaulted my ears as I pushed the door open, taking in the sight before me. Marco sat on the edge of a bed, paralyzed, as Eren ground down against him, apparently giving Marco the best lap dance he could manage in his intoxicated state. Marco’s eyes looked like they were ready to bug right out of his head, to the point that I was actually beginning to worry about the possibility of him having a heart attack. That phone call, Marco desperate for an escape, was starting to make a lot more sense.

“Alright, alright. Enough, you two,” I groaned, grabbing Eren by the arm and hauling him away from Marco. I felt a slight ache in my jaw that alerted me to just how hard I had clenched my teeth together in an effort to keep from causing Eren bodily harm. The urge to feel skin colliding with my knuckles had never been stronger. I might have been proud of my restraint had I not been so livid. “Save it for the pole, Jaeger. We’ve got to get back to campus.” I turned my attention back to Marco, “You ready? This was fun and all… but yeah…”

Eren wrenched his arm out of my grasp, toppling into a heap on the bed at the force. "Well, well, whale whale whale, what do we half here? Joan Crushtime here to ruin the party,” he said, holding up his hands in mock surrender with a giggle. “Alright, sir, you got me.” He repositioned himself clumsily, sitting up and crossing his legs. “So,” he started, his chin tucked into his palm as he scrutinized the two of us. “Like, what’s going on here? Are you two dating or something? Because if you are, then oops.”

There was that fucking infuriating giggle again. I crossed my arms. Pffft, no we weren’t together. I wasn’t gay. Besides, was it not possible to just be a good friend? I didn’t see why Eren had to automatically assume we were together. But, as I was learning was often the case, Eren opened his fat mouth again and that train of that went straight out the window on a bubbling wave of rage, “But if you aren’t, Joan, why did you have to interrupt like that? I wasn’t done with him!”

“Like Hell you weren’t done with him!” I spat, feeling something in my mind snap. I know I would have broken our tentative peace treaty in a matter of seconds had in not been for the calming hand that found it’s way to my shoulder.

“Well, no Eren, we’re just friends. And I think you need to go home as well.You’ve, uh, had enough ‘practice’, so… I think you’ll be good for when the occasion comes.” Eren looked over at Marco with a big, sloppy grin on his face. Color me once again impressed at Marco’s people skills. He somehow always seemed to know just what to say to defuse a situation.

“You really think so? Well, fuck, Marco. You’ve been a good sprout,” Eren beamed, staggering from his place on the bed to throw his arms around Marco in a hug. “Thanks for bein’ so cool man. And you,” Eren pulled away slightly, turning to wave a finger at me, “You be good to this guy! He’s so fuggin’ nice and shit.”

I wasn’t entirely sure Eren had gotten the ‘we aren’t a couple’ memo, but even as a friend I had every intention of doing just that. “Oh trust me, I know,” I assured him. I didn’t need Eren to tell me how great Marco was. And I knew I’d always look out for Marco, if he’d let me.

It was then that Shorty walked by the room, face lighting up as he glanced in. “Eren! there you are!” he exclaimed, looking relieved. So he was Eren’s keeper, huh? Well someone needed to step up to the job. He paused momentarily, eyes following the music to an iPod sitting on a dock on the dresser. “Oh, lord. Not this again. I’m assuming Marco was the stand in?” There was a story there, I just knew it. “I’m so sorry about that. But it looks like we have to go so see you guys later,” Shorty (Armin?) finished with an apologetic smile. He grabbed Eren by the shoulders and lead him away, leaving the two of us alone in the bedroom with The Killers still awkwardly playing in the background.

Marco turned to me and laughed, blush still heavy on his face. In answer I just shook my head, trying and failing to hold back from snickering myself. Marco removed his hand from my shoulder (I had actually forgotten it had been there, it felt so natural) and shoved both of his hands into his pockets awkwardly. “Uh, so… I guess I’m all ready to go, too.”

I nodded and followed Marco’s lead, shoving my own hands in my pockets as well, as we started down the stairs together. The cloud of awkward tension followed us all the way to the front door. “You know what I don’t get?” I started, trying to relieve the silence, “How are you always so calm? It’s impressive. It’s like you have the patience of a mountain or some shit.”

“Well, I try to approach things with a lot of thought and care,” Marco explained as we headed to my car. “It’s best to always approach things without hate. Empathy and love should always be taken into consideration when handling situations.” All of that just sounded like some sort of zen mumbo jumbo I doubt I’d ever understand, but I listened because if anyone knew what they were talking about here it was Marco. “I’m sure Eren meant no harm in what he was doing. And sometimes we get a little carried away with things, but we all make mistakes. Tomorrow Eren’s going to be embarrassed about today, but I’m not going to let him make a big deal out of it. I know he was just a little tipsy and wanted to show me something he thought I’d enjoy. I hope that answers your question.”

Marco was clearly a better person than me. “A _little_ tipsy?” I scoffed as we crossed the yard, taking care to avoid littered beer cans. “Yeah, sure. Well, I guess that’s where you and me are different then. In your situation, I’d never let Jaeger live it down.” I said with a smirk as we reached the car.

Marco paused before he pulled the door open. “Oh yeah, thanks for bailing me out. You’re really a good friend, Jean.”

My smirk softened to a smile at his words. “Sure. I mean, I wasn’t just gonna throw you to the wolves and jet,” I answered with a shrug, focusing on getting in the car as opposed to actually meeting Marco’s eye. I turned it on and waiting for Marco to get belted before turning again to look at him. “There’s one thing I don’t get though. You said something about practicing. What the hell was that all about?”

I smiled as I watched Marco’s expression change, his face growing redder and redder. He got so flustered so easily. In reality, the fact that he was still alive after his roommate got drunk and ground up against him is quite frankly a miracle.

"Well, he mentioned that there was someone he liked and would dance for if he ever found the opportunity at his lap.” I had a feeling I knew who that someone was. ‘Jaeger Bomb’ was in way over his head. “Oh, uh, lap referring to the idiom, not lap as in lap dance, ha ha ha is it warm right now? It feels hot to me?" Marco babbled, beginning to fan himself with his hand as he started to resemble a strawberry.

 

I laughed lightly, rolling down the car windows as I pulled away from the house. The wind filtered in, ruffling our hair. “There. Maybe that’ll work better than your hand.” I froze, realizing how awful that sounded. Now I was the one turning red. Fuck. “I meant… you were trying to fan yourself. Maybe this will cool you off better- You know what? Just forget it.” I finally squeaked, mortified, and turned the radio on to drown out the awkward. The two of us were fucking hopeless.

Marco practically exploded into a laughing fit then, breaking the tension. It was so powerful that he began hiccuping and couldn’t even speak. How was it that every single thing Marco did was absolutely adorable? I shook my head, lips pursed, trying not to laugh as well. You can guess how long that lasted. Soon we were both laughing like maniacs, tears pooling in the corners of my eyes as I drove down the street with the windows down.

I felt more alive in that moment than I had in years.

Once Marco got the hiccups somewhat under control, he again attempted to speak. “Oh gosh,” he said between the few, residual, sporadic chuckles, “Sorry Jean, but everything tonight was just too crazy not to laugh at.”

“God I know! What a fucking mess,” I laughed heartily. “At least it wasn’t boring.” I was still struggling to catch my breath just enough to speak. “Thanks for inviting me.”

Marco gave me a smile. “Yeah, it sure wasn’t. And you’re welcome. I can’t even imagine how it would have gone down if you weren’t there to save me,” Marco said with a sigh. I glanced over in time to spot him moving to stare up at the stars again, this time his head laying on the open window seal, the wind rushing over him, against his skin, through his hair. Despite the events of the night, he looked… peaceful. It was almost hard to tear my eyes back to the road. “Well, I’m still glad you went with me, Jean. We didn’t stay for long and Eren’s surprise kind of shortened the night, but I’m still glad I was able to spend some more time with you.”

“What kind of best friend would I be if I wasn’t there to save you, huh?” I asked with a little lopsided smile. I turned my attention back to the road, preparing for the turn off that would lead to our parking lot. I almost didn’t want it to end. All in all it was a good night. And now, just me and Marco, the night sky, the breeze…. It was this perfect moment. And maybe I was turning into a sap, but I wasn’t ready for it to be over.

A thought occurred to me as I pulled into my space. Maybe it didn’t have to be.

Reiner and Bertl were at that party too. And Reiner had been drinking pretty heavily, even for a guy his size. I would be willing to bet a substantial amount of money that tonight was gonna be very… interesting… around my dorm room. “Hey, Marco? You know how you were saying you were glad to spend time with me?” I suggested awkwardly as I got out of the car. “Well, huh… would you maybe mind spending some more time with me? I’d rather not be in my room when Reiner and Bertl get home. That is, if your offer from last night still stands.”

Marco smiled and walked around the car, patting my shoulder. “Absolutely. I wouldn’t leave you to that. Especially not after tonight,” He reassured. I smiled back, suddenly looking forward to the rest of the night. Just as long as Marco was there. I muttered a word of thanks and locked up the car, and with that we headed into the dorm together, side by side.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize from the bottom of my heart to the very tips of my hair follicles for how extraordinarily long it took for me to post this chapter. My health took a turn for the worse and I needed to take some time off to try to get things under control. I love you all like crazy for your patience and putting up with me!
> 
> \- Chippita13


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